To Be A Hero
by Sephiroth M. Elmdor
Summary: A journey of self discovery and the start of the path to be a hero. Ranma x Kasumi matchup
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½.

Heroes are born everyday. Your neighbor might be a hero, and you just don't know it. The common misconception about heroes is that people think that they are some kind of celebrities, which is totally not the case. A hero, at its core, is somebody who does extraordinary things in extraordinary times. Anybody can be a hero, your dog, your grandmother, that pesky guy in school that bugs you all the time; you might just not know it. This is a story about a man, who after many trials, tribulations, heartbreak, pain and betrayal finally learned what it meant to be a true hero; that he not only saves the day, but makes a difference within the lives of those he crosses paths with.

This story starts in a quiet little district in Japan called Nerima. It was once a quiet little place, where trouble and chaos rarely visited. Nerima wasn't a special space, it had cultural buildings or landmarks or things of that sort. Of course, it was a good place to live in; it had a beautiful park and quaint little homes that Japanese always love. However this all changed when one individual came to town one day and changed the fate of the people around him irrevocably. This man is called Ranma Saotome and this is his story, a journey where he learns the true meaning of being a hero.

xxxx

It was a sunny and bright afternoon at Nerima Park. A gentle breeze could be felt sweeping its way past the park, rustling the fallen leaves and cooling the walking throes of people passing by. There were couples abound in the park, but there was one particular couple that could be seen that exuded a different kind of aura, one of quiet amicability. Neither happy nor sad, this couple seemed as if it was just fine to be walking with each other, looking at the trees, the bushes and the animals, but not each other; without a word being exchanged. The young man wore a black Chinese shirt with some blue loose fitting pants and wore his black hair in a pigtail; the blue-haired woman was a stark contrast to the dark ensemble her companion wore. She wore a yellow knee-length dress with white sandals.

This seemingly pleasant couple was Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo. A couple that has gone through many ordeals and hardships to arrive at this point at their relationship. They were probably the oddest couple in Nerima, overcoming kidnappings, magic and many other events that have tested their love for each other and have come out triumphant against all of them. However that was not the way Ranma felt at all. For him, the spark was gone, the passion that he had felt for the blue-haired woman had cooled down to just a warm, caring attitude for the woman that had been at his side for the longest time. And it reflected in his demeanor as they were walking. His eyes seemed downcast, as if he were dreading something and he was slouched in walking, like there was a great weight on his shoulders. He didn't know if he would ever find a love as pure and passionate as the way he used to feel for Akane and he doubted if he ever will. But that love was gone, replaced by the gentle caring of a brother for a sister, and worse of all, he had to tell her of this fact. He didn't want them to go on like this without telling Akane his feelings; he didn't want to string her along like many men do to their girlfriends.

"Akane," he said as they were walking amongst the trees, on a dirt road leading to a part of the park where many other couples seemed to favor during the afternoons. It was a beautiful place, with a gazebo at the center and numerous park benches around it. It was there where the most beautiful trees and flowers bloomed, foreign and those borne on Japanese soil. "We have to talk," he tersely said as if he was nervous, which wasn't that far from the truth. They had been together for two years, and he was still nervous and doubting himself around her. It was ironic that one of the strongest martial artists to ever live was nervous, but when it came to matters of the heart, it was just something that he could not use his fists to get out of.

"About what?" Akane replied. She felt the hesitation that her boyfriend was showing. She knew him well enough to pick up what he was feeling; something like an empathy developed over the years that they were together. She looked at him and saw the agitation in his eyes, and knew immediately there was something wrong. Ranma was rarely nervous about anything. She knew he was one of the best martial artists in the country. Though only a select few knew of this fact, limited to only close friends and family and to those who have seen him fight. "You look nervous, is there something wrong?"

To this question, Ranma felt more apprehension. He knew he couldn't control his feelings, but should he hurt her by telling her? Weren't other couples content with marriages of convenience? Unfortunately, Ranma didn't have those answers right now. So he steeled himself and told her, "It's about us."

Akane didn't like the sound of that. They rarely talked about their relationship, whether it was then or now. Then, she was too full of anger and resentment for being thrown into a marriage in which she had no choice and no knowledge of her prospective husband. Not to mention that her husband-to-be changed into a woman with a splash of cold water. But, now… she felt more of a gentle understanding of what he went through and what she went through with him. She knew he was a kind and gentle soul, who was used by his father and is constantly misunderstood by people.

Akane knew there was more to Ranma than meets the eye. He cared for people, protected them, and not just because of the code of the martial artist, but because it was the right thing to do. He was sweet and loving in his own way and always remembered anniversaries and birthdays, though she knew that he also had his flaws. He sometimes falls back into his old arrogant ways, where he always thinks he is the best, although she had always chided him for being that way and he has been working to change that part of him. And he still belittled women, and although to a lesser extent than before, it irked her that Ranma still thought women were weak and powerless, since half of the time, he was one! And although he wasn't as uncomfortable being a girl as he once was, back when he first arrived at Nerima, he wasn't too thrilled either.

"What about us?" Akane replied. Ranma had a look of bitter resolve etched upon his face, like he was about to do something he didn't like. And the truth wasn't too far from that, he felt terrible for what he was about to do, but he knew he had to do this. He had to tell her what he was feeling. They vowed to each other that there would be "No more secrets" and Ranma always kept his promises.

"Let's sit down first," Ranma said. And they sat down on a bench overlooking the gazebo. It seemed like a perfect scene, with flowers drifting down from the overhanging branches of the sakura trees, and then lying serenely on the ground looking as if a parade of pink petals were softly lying on the ground. It was a stark contrast to the feelings that the couple on the bench felt. So they sat there, not speaking for what it seemed like an eternity, but was actually just a few moments, not looking at each other. One was thinking, 'I don't want to hurt her but…' and the other was thinking 'I wonder what he's going to tell me?'

'Akane, I don't know how to tell you this… so I'll just say it," Ranma began. His tone sounded ominous and Akane's worry increased. "Something is wrong, isn't it? Is it another fiancé, another crazed madman on the loose trying to terrorize us?" Akane began, not giving Ranma a chance to finish. She looked into his eyes, full of love and hope that Ranma has always loved about her and Ranma felt even worse. "No, it's…," But once again, Ranma didn't get a chance to finish as Akane interrupted his words, "Its ok, whatever it is, I'm sure we can get through it together. We always have, haven't we?" However, Ranma didn't reply to this and was silent for a few seconds. "It's not that, Akane. I think…" He looked up into Akane's eyes, banished the fear from his heart and continued, "I think we should break up."

"What… what are you talking about? Is this some kind of joke? Because if it is, it isn't very funny," Akane tensely replied. "It's no joke, I'm very serious," Ranma did look very serious albeit with a look of sadness in his eyes. Akane looked away; tears were starting to form in her eyes, "Is it another fiancé? Is there another woman?" Akane asked accusingly. Ranma looked surprised, he had thought that they had put this behind them, but apparently Akane still had some reservations about him. "No, it's not that! It's just… I don't love you, not that way, anymore. It's not even you; I don't know how or why, I can't change the way I'm feeling now." Ranma said reassuringly, but Akane continued, "Am I not good enough for you?" Ranma was taken aback, was Akane's view of herself that low? He had always thought that Akane had a lot of self-confidence and fire in her heart. She was very passionate and headstrong and was one of the qualities Ranma always thought that had attracted him to her. "No, you're great. It's just sometimes… you know, things don't work out even with the best of people and intentions. This is one of those times. Don't ever think that I didn't love you, not even for a second, because I did love you, for two years. It's just that… I don't love you that way anymore; you are more of a sister to me now, one that I have to protect and care for."

At this statement, Akane turned to look at Ranma with a shocked look in her eyes. She felt like she was suffocating, being covered with different emotions at the same time. Anger, sadness, disappointment, resentment all swept through her like a typhoon. And it didn't take very long before she erupted. "You want to end it just like that? The two years that we spent together were meaningless to you?" Akane was crying now clutching Ranma's shirt with a vice grip. "Just a sister? I don't want to be your sister, I want to be by your side." She couldn't bear letting it go, thinking that he might leave if she did. "Maybe you can just change your feelings with a snap of your fingers, but I can't. It hurts so much now that I just can't begin to understand why you're doing this." Tears kept falling down her eyes and Ranma couldn't bear to see Akane crying.

Ranma took Akane into his arms and stroked her back, "I'm so sorry, Akane. I never meant for it to be like this. I thought that after the years we've been together, our love would keep getting stronger, but it hasn't. If I could change the way I felt, I would." Akane looked up into his eyes, "But…but, I still love you! I've been alone for so long, I don't want to be alone anymore." Ranma smiled and shook his head, "Akane, you should know that I'll always be here when you need me, just not as lovers anymore. I'll never stop being your friend." Ranma's words did nothing to alleviate the heartbroken woman's tears though, "Friends, is that all we will ever be from now on? But I had dreams! I thought we would grow old together and have children and raise them together as a family." Ranma didn't know what to say, he hadn't really thought that far. Ranma took things as they came, the way he was taught all his life. He never really thought of the future all that often. Sometimes he would think of it, just like all people did. But he didn't plan for college or anything like that. It was almost graduation from high school and he had not selected a college yet to attend or if he was even going to attend one. But at the moment, he had more important things to sort out, like how to comfort the sobbing Akane.

"Akane, you don't have to cry anymore, we'll still be together, as friends." But Akane didn't want to be just friends; she had invested too much into her relationship with Ranma to let it go now. She had to go somewhere to sort this all out; she couldn't let Ranma see her like this. She had to clear her head before talking to him again.

And so Akane stopped crying looked at Ranma with an undecipherable look and ran away. This surprised Ranma, but it quickly wore off. "Akane, wait! Where are you going?" But if Akane heard Ranma's words, she paid no heed to it. She kept on running and never looked back. Ranma gave chase to Akane, confident that he would be able to catch her due to his superior speed and agility. However, as she passed a tree, to his great surprise, he couldn't find her anymore after that. It was like she disappeared into thin air. When in fact, she just doubled back because she knew Ranma was fast, but was not a quick-thinker. He was more of a deep-analysis kind of guy in these kinds of situations, it was only in battle where he let his instincts and experience take over, enabling him to make split-second judgments.

Still, Ranma didn't give up. He searched everywhere for her, her usual hangouts, Furinkan High School and various other places where he would normally find her, to no avail. So Ranma, thinking Akane would probably be home, went back to do Tendo dojo. As he was speeding his way back to his pseudo-home, he had only one thought in his mind, 'What happened?'

In his destination however, a brown haired woman stood on the porch of the old dojo and stared worriedly at the sky. She had a sense of foreboding that resided deep within her. She couldn't explain what it was, it was just something that she has always felt but had chosen to remain silent about it. However, she felt that she couldn't be silent about this now. 'Something is going to happen, something very bad,' she thought. She banished those thoughts however, as she saw the pig-tailed martial artist land on their backyard. She had no idea however, how bad it would truly be.

xxxxx

Well, I'm back after a two year long sabbatical. I was planning to write again, but I got too caught up with playing PS2, PC and most of all, WoW. However, this story will be a long one, although I am not sure how long this will be. But it will be longer than my previous stories. To those that have not read my other stories, (because they were Evangelion fics) thanks for reading my story. Whether you leave a review or not, it's up to you. Special thanks to those who leave a meaningful review though.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½.

The Tendo dojo was a quiet and serene place, free from trouble and housed an ordinary family of four, a single father and three sisters. It was no different from other Japanese homes apart from the patriarch being the sole parent as the mother of the Tendos had long since passed away. Soun Tendo had always been a good man and a good father, however he had become lost after the death of his wife, constantly crying and reduced to a former shell of his self. The three Tendo daughters, Akane, Nabiki and Kasumi, were also greatly affected by the loss of their mother.

And on a sunny afternoon, it is here that the eldest Tendo sister could be found hanging up the laundry to dry. She wore a light yellow dress that seemed perfect for the sunny and hot afternoon. Kasumi was doing more than just hanging clothes on that afternoon though; she was thinking. Contrary to what most people thought, that she was a woman who only had shallow thoughts, she was actually a very well-read woman, often borrowing books from Doctor Tofu and the library. However, she tended to keep her opinions and views to herself, not wanting to distress her siblings. She had many views on many things, however there was one particular thought that had continued to linger in her thoughts, and that was Ranma.

He was a mystery to her. Even though Ranma had been living with their family for a few years now, she didn't really make an effort to really get to know him well. Of course, she knew his passion for martial arts and being the best at whatever he did, but aside from that, she didn't really know much about the pigtailed young man. She didn't even know why she was thinking of him that afternoon. Maybe it had something to do with the trouble with Ranma's relationship with Akane. On the surface, it seemed perfectly fine. However, Kasumi had always developed a special understanding of the little things; like how she knew if two people would be happy or how to make people smile with a small gesture of kindness.

She didn't know how she got this feeling, but for as long as she could remember she had it. It was the reason why she didn't pursue Doctor Tofu, she had a feeling, an intuition that things wouldn't work out very well between them. The kind doctor had always been good to her even though sometimes he would have the tendency to act a little manic around her, but somehow, she didn't feel a connection; a spark of some sort that would signal her that he could be the one. And although there were some moments where she thought that they had something, it really didn't last for long, marred by his fits of dementia whenever she was around him. So Kasumi just considered the good-natured doctor a good friend.

Kasumi knew that the reason why Ranma loved Akane was because, most of the time, she was the damsel in distress. Ranma had always been taught that martial artists protected the weak. Even though by no means was Akane weak, compared to the various foes Ranma has faced over the years, she was grossly inadequate. Now that they've been dating for two years, he had finally come to realize that he didn't love Akane; he loved the idea of rescuing her from the various dangers that arose from his chaotic life. Akane was too much like him; fiery, brash, the unwillingness to back down from a fight, for it to truly work out. Kasumi had always believed that two people should complement each other. In Ranma's case, however, they overlapped each other. There was an overflow of the qualities that made them unique and therein laid the problem. She knew Ranma had realized it, but she didn't know if Akane did. Ever since their mother's death, she hadn't been the same.

Akane back then was sweet and caring, always being the first to believe another's words, and while most people called this naiveté, Kasumi had always loved that quality of her sister's. But when their mother died, Akane was the one who refused to believe that she was dead. And since their only remaining parent was a man and, more importantly, a martial artist, he taught his daughters the only thing he knew, martial arts. Akane was the most eager to learn out of the three sisters, wanting to escape the cold truth of reality by practicing everyday and throwing herself completely into the art. Of course, eventually Akane had to accept her mother's death, but not without the constant help and guidance of her sisters. Now, however, she was still the exact same way, always wanting to escape reality once trouble rears its ugly head.

Kasumi had not fared any better from the death of their mother. However, her change was more subtle than Akane's. She also withdrew herself from the world, but not by throwing herself into the art, but by simply ignoring her problems. She hid her worry, anxiety, and even her own personality and opinions behind a mask of constant happiness. Although she acknowledged that that part of her was not a bad thing, she did not want to remain hidden forever. However, unlike Akane, Kasumi was burdened with the task of managing the household, since she was the eldest female. And even though Nabiki was the one who managed their finances, it was Kasumi that kept the household together.

Kasumi became the mother figure for both Akane and Nabiki at a young age and took on all the household duties like doing the laundry, cooking, cleaning and other household chores. She had always regretted dropping out of school so she could focus on managing the household, although she had kept it inside of her for a long time. She loved knowledge and that is why she loved to read. Although she was disappointed in Ranma's lack of passion for learning, she could understand that Ranma had an extraordinary life. He wasn't a normal kid who went to school had friends and hung out, he was taken away on an arduous training excursion for almost 10 years, being taught by a greedy and manipulative father about life, having gone through various obstacles like the Neko-ken and Amazon death threats and marriage proposals. No, Kasumi thought, he certainly wasn't an ordinary person.

After Kasumi had hung out the laundry to dry, she went inside the house and noticed that it was almost time for dinner. She went inside the kitchen and thought about what to cook for the night. Kasumi had always loved cooking, even when she was a child, and was a duty that she had gladly accepted when she became the pseudo-matriarch of the Tendo home. It gave her a sense of amazement; that you could create something that could make people happy from seemingly nothing.

Kasumi decided, after some quiet consideration that she would cook an ordinary dinner tonight. After all, it wasn't as if there was a special occasion tonight. So, she prepared the ingredients for tonaktsu with rice with miso soup on the side. As she finished up her cooking, she heard a faint sound from the garden where the koi pond was. The afternoon was quiet and even a single drop of a pebble could be heard. Kasumi instinctively knew that it was Ranma, she didn't know how she knew, it's just that she did. She carefully made her way outside to the garden with some confusion in her mind.

Why was he home so early? She thought. This morning a sense of trepidation had befallen her. Something was going to happen today, but she didn't know exactly what. Maybe this was that feeling she had gotten. Ranma was having problems with Akane, but she didn't know to what extent. Had their relationship fallen so low that Ranma had already broken it off with her? Kasumi shook her head; she didn't want to think such dark thoughts.

When she reached door leading into the garden, she saw Ranma dusting himself off. She knew that he and Akane had gone to the park for their date and that was just an hour ago. "Ranma, why are you home so early?" Kasumi asked. Ranma looked up and was a little surprised at Kasumi's presence; she was probably the only one who he couldn't sense, probably because of the aura of calm and serenity that she always effused. Ranma was silent for a few seconds and his face turned from one of surprise to one of sadness for a split second, but then turned into a kind of awkward smile. Kasumi wasn't fooled for a minute, but she let him be. She knew that he would tell her what was wrong. "Why don't we talk about it inside?" Ranma replied. "Of course," Kasumi said with her kind smile. "Let's go into the living room, and I can make us some tea, is that fine with you?"

"Of course, its fine with me," Ranma said, kind of flustered. He never declined an invitation for anything when Kasumi offered it. They walked together slowly, as if they were afraid of something. The house seemed a little darker, even though it was an afternoon. Maybe not aesthetically, but its mood, its aura seemed a little darker. When they reached the living room, Kasumi offered Ranma a seat on one side of the kotatsu table and she sat opposite of him.

There was a silence when they sat, and it went on for a full minute. Nobody wanted to start. Ranma didn't want to because, even if he had been living with Kasumi and her family for a long time, he didn't really know her, personally, that well. Still… he felt that he could talk to her and she would understand. He didn't exactly know why, but he felt a sense of goodness within her. He couldn't quite place it; it was like a magical force compelled him to tell her his problem.

For Kasumi it was quite different, she sincerely wanted to get to know Ranma. However, she felt that she needed to let him be the first one to talk. Ranma had to tell her without any coaxing from her for her to be of real help to him. It had to start with him because it was his problem, not hers. She could not pry about the nature of his situation less she put him off.

For a while, neither of them spoke. And the air was thick with anticipation. And then, as sudden as Ranma's arrival, the silence was broken. "I don't know where to start," Ranma began. "Start at the beginning," Kasumi offered. She once again smiled that kind smile, the one that Ranma had always liked about her. Where'd that thought come from? Ranma mulled. But he dismissed it, an idea for another day. "Well, you see… Akane and I, we… have been seeing each other a lot more, these past two years," Ranma looked away from Kasumi, sporting a sad face, one similar to the look Kasumi saw on his face just a while ago.

"I thought you two were doing just fine?" Kasumi asked. Although she had known there were problems, she decided to play the role of the oblivious woman once again. "No, we're not. Even though it seems like we are… we're not." Ranma was shaking now, looking like a wreck, a far cry from the brash, arrogant young man that appeared at the Tendo doorstep nearly five years ago.

"At least, I'm not. It's just that… I don't know. I don't know why, I only have a feeling. One that I started to feel the first day we went out. I just ignored it. But everyday, it kept growing and growing and now I can't seem to ignore it anymore," Ranma looked distraught, as if he didn't know what to do. "I've always thought that I loved her, from the moment I stepped into your home and she showed kindness to me. She gave me something that no one else did, kindness. And that's why I thought I loved her. But now… now, I don't know if it's love or just a kind of affection for the first one who shows kindness to me. I feel as if I'm doing something wrong again." He looked at Kasumi again, "Did I? Was I wrong?"

Kasumi had heard enough, Ranma was always being blamed for the chaos of their lives. Sometimes, it was the truth. Most of the time, however, it wasn't. Ranma had a penchant for attracting trouble, Kasumi knew. But he wasn't responsible for all the chaos of their lives. Kasumi was tired of people blaming Ranma; taking advantage of him, as if he wasn't a person.

Kasumi looked at Ranma appraisingly, looking at him and realizing for the first time that she had a small attraction for the man that had always given them so much and never asked for anything in return. Kasumi couldn't help resist the charms that had Ranma had, the ones that continuously attracted women to him like flies to honey. Kasumi's attraction, however, was not similar to the others that pursue them. Her attraction for him was suppressed because she wanted to let her sister be happy. But now… now, he wasn't dating her sister anymore.

"No, you were not wrong. But…Akane wasn't wrong either. Sometimes… people just aren't meant to be together," she replied, turning her head away from Ranma, sadness washing over her face, "Trust me…I know."

"I'm sorry; I didn't want to bring up sad memories"

"No, it's no problem," the sadness receded and the kind smile that Kasumi always wore appeared back on her face.

Kasumi looked at Ranma again, he was certainly handsome, of that there was no doubt, but beneath that laid a kind heart. Most people thought that Ranma was an arrogant jerk who wasn't all that smart. And while it was certainly true that Ranma was no genius, he wasn't stupid, he just didn't apply himself. As for being arrogant, it was a defense mechanism. Something that Ranma had learnt, probably from his father or something he created on his own, to protect himself from his own insecurities. When push comes to shove however, his true personality comes into light, one of a noble and kind hero who had sacrificed many things for the ones he loved.

And that was what attracted Kasumi to Ranma. While most of Ranma's fiancées were after Ranma for one selfish reason or the other, Kasumi was attracted towards what was inside of him. Not his martial arts prowess, not his looks, but for himself.

Silence reigned again between them. None of them knew what to say to one another. They stared at each other for what it seemed like hours to them, when in truth, only a few minutes had passed.

"Five years ago, I intruded upon your home and fell in love with your sister. That love soon turned into mere affection and then I realized that…I wasn't in love with her, I was in love in the idea of rescuing her." Ranma started.

"All my life, my father always said I was weak and even though I put up a brave front, I was always hurt by his words. That's why I wanted to prove to him that I was strong and maybe…saving Akane gave me that strength. It proved to my father that I wasn't weak anymore."

Kasumi was a little surprised by Ranma's admission. Although Kasumi knew some parts of Ranma's story. She didn't know the complete picture. "You're not weak Ranma, and you don't have to prove yourself to anybody, especially to your father." She put her hand in his to make him feel more comfortable, but instead he seemed to become even more nervous.

"I know that my father had committed a lot of wrong in my part. But he's still my father. For all the insults I throw at him, I still love him and that will never change." Ranma looked up and sighed, "I guess…that was my way of proving myself to him"

"You don't need your father's or anyone else's approval, only your own. There are many who are proud of you, both friend and foe. Shampoo, Ukyo, Ryouga, Mousse…all of them, they all know of your skill and prowess and even though your enemies might not say it, they have you to thank for becoming who they are know. Without you being who you are, they would have never trained to become strong to defeat you. So, in a way, they are proud of you. And…," Kasumi trailed off, as if afraid to speak the words that were threatening to come out.

"And what…?"

"And I'm proud of you."

Ranma was taken away. He didn't know why her words of approval meant more to him than anybody else, even Akane's. His spirits soared, and he didn't feel nervous anymore. This was a woman who had always believed in him, but stayed in the background. While most of his suitors fought over him, constantly tried to trick him and violently mauled him, Kasumi was always there to mend his wounds, to make a little time to talk to him.

"I'm glad. That means more to me than you know"

Kasumi's blushed a little at Ranma's remark. She had always thought of herself as plain; that no one would notice her. No one had ever said those kinds of words to her in her life. And to hear from a man she felt a mounting attraction to…all she could do was sit there and smile.

"You told me that 'sometimes people just weren't mean to be together.' So how do you know when two people are?"

"Well…it's quite difficult to say. You just know, you don't know how…you just know. It's like this feeling of happiness just springs from the deepest depths of your heart and wraps you around it, like a blanket and whenever you're around that person, that blanket never falls from you."

Ranma's anxiety finally subsided at Kasumi's words and all he could feel was the warmth of Kasumi's hand in his, he squeezed it and leaned forward, as if to whisper something to her.

"Kasumi… you have done so much for me, and yet… I still feel some trace of love for Akane. But if you were willing to give us a chance…maybe you'd like to go out with me?"

Kasumi's heart soared. He did feel something for me, she thought. Her affections for the pig-tailed man in front of her were growing by the second. She was so happy, that to Ranma, she appeared to be just staring at him.

"I take it that that's a no?"

Kasumi was shook out her reverie and finally managed to reply, "Of course, I will."


	3. Chapter 2

It was a few days after Ranma's proposal and all seemed quiet. Not one of Ranma's suitors attempted to accost him. Akane had went and stayed with a friend. No one could say why she would so suddenly and abruptly spring this piece of news on them, save for Ranma and Kasumi. However the household did not see too much into this, as Akane was prone to having fits at times.

For Ranma, today was a special day. It was an opportunity to shed the past, where pride was his constant companion and only his strength could be relied on. For Kasumi, it was a day of many new possibilities, the possibility of finally finding happiness and the possibility of love. Both prospects were endearing to the two and both looked forward to this evening's rendezvous. However, they knew they could not lift the veil of secrecy upon their new relationship yet. For days, the two have endeavored on hiding their plans. They avoided each other and scarcely said a word to each other, uttering only, "Hello" or "Goodbye." It both pained them to conceal such a truth from their family. But they both knew the consequences of revealing their state of affairs.

But they would announce themselves to their respective families, but not so soon, not when Akane was still hurting, not while all the affected parties were still not informed, and definitely not when they knew that their parents hung a marriage ceremony over their heads. For now, it was enough that they enjoyed each others' company, no matter how minute their time together was. A passing glance, a short smile, that was all the time they had for each other.

The morning and afternoon had passed quickly. And the cold darkness of night blanketed Nerima. For most people it was only an ordinary day, one where they would go through the motions unawares of the events that are unfolding before their very eyes, but are blind to see them. For two people, it was a special night; an occasion that they hope would come more often in the future should this one be successful.

Ranma had already rushed out towards their agreed meeting place, a little café not far from their home. It was a quaint little bistro, perfect for their quaint little appointment. He had been sitting only for five minutes and already he was nervous. He wore a red long-sleeved shirt with a dark jacket, topped off with black slacks and black dress shoes. Ranma was a little apprehensive about his clothes. He didn't if they were appropriate for the occasion as he had little experience in these kinds of situations.

Meanwhile, Kasumi was still preparing in her boudoir. She wore a pink blouse with a red skirt. She also had on a dark blue jacket to complete the ensemble. She moved to her dresser to put on some make-up, although she didn't usually wear make-up, she felt that this occasion warranted it. She applied some light lipstick and light blush on her cheeks for color and then looked herself in the mirror. Like Ranma, she didn't know if her mode of dress was appropriate for a first date. She herself had no experience in dating. When her mother died, she had to take care of the household immediately and drop out of school. It didn't leave much room for dating to say the least.

Kasumi quietly snuck out of the house, tiptoeing to the front door and donning her white sandals. No one in the house noticed the brief opening and closing of the screen door as Kasumi masterfully executed her getaway to the little café where Ranma was waiting. She didn't want to do this to her family. She had taken care of them for so very long. But she felt that, just for this one time, she could be selfish.

They had arranged to meet at seven o'clock and she had promptly arrived at such a time. When the waiter led her to their table, she could see that Ranma was nervous. Inside, she laughed. A certain mirth filled her at the thought that, this was a man who had fought and killed a god, and he was nervous at the prospect of having a date. This mirth had seeped on towards her face and when she had seated, she had to stifle a giggle, lest she make Ranma even more nervous than he already was.

Inwardly, Ranma was stunned at the beauty sitting across from him. The candles illuminated her beauty even further, and he felt that she may have been the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen in his life. He knew that her intense beauty belied a kindred spirit residing within her. She was a prisoner, an inmate in her own home. So many had come to depend upon her, even himself, that she seemingly could not break free of the shackles that threatened to weigh her down the rest of her life. Ranma decided right then and there, that he would fight for her freedom. The question was how, but Ranma knew that he shouldn't dwell on those questions right now. He would seek the answers to them another day. Not here and definitely not now.

"Ranma… why did you ask me out?"

It was here that Kasumi's inquisitive nature kicked in again. She didn't know why someone like him would be attracted to someone like her. Shampoo had an exotic beauty most men would like to possess. Ukyo had a known him ever since they were children. He had much better prospects than her, and it baffled her as to his choice of companionship.

"You have women fawning over you that are much more beautiful than me, whom have known you longer than I had. For the life of me, I don't know why you would someone as plain as me to dine with you this evening."

At this question, Ranma laughed out heartily. So enthused was he on his laughter that some of the bistro's customers turned and looked at him. He noticed this and proceeded to cough, excusing himself from the brief debacle that he had created.

"I'm sorry," he started, "But you, plain? I don't think so. You are probably one of the most beautiful women I have ever the privilege of gazing on. Don't ever think that for a moment, no matter how brief, that you are plain, because you aren't."

His intense gaze upon her made her blush a deep red. She was at a lost for words, no one had ever said she was beautiful before.

"You may be the farthest thing from it. Adding to your beauty is your devotion to your family, your kindness, your generosity and an intelligence that belies your passiveness," Kasumi tried to interject but he went on, "Your words have always carried a meaning that are at times completely baffling and at times produce perfect clarity," he produced a sigh from his lips and continued on, albeit a tad more subdued this time, "Don't ever doubt yourself Kasumi. You have shown me something that few people have ever shown me, kindness."

She smiled at him, feeling just a little bit warm after his kind words. "I have done nothing special. Anyone else would have done the same."

He returned her smile. "Then I have not me 'anybody', for I have never felt kindness. Wait. There was one other time when someone had shown me kindness. It was a long time ago, when I was still a child. When I was trapped in the Neko-ken, it was a kind old lady that placated me and brought me back my sanity. Since then I've only felt false kindness or conditional kindness, never true kindness. But with you… with you I feel different, that your kindness is genuine."

To this, Kasumi had no reply. All she could do was smile at him, enjoying the quiet moment together; a bubble where the world didn't matter and all their problems melted away into the void of calm.

As they finished their conversation, the waiter had come to take their orders. Ranma simply ordered a chicken sandwich and Kasumi ordered some salad. They were far more interested in their conversation than the food.

In a stark contrast to their animated conversation earlier, they were silent in their wait for their respective meals to arrive. Each was in their own pensive moods, thinking about the words that had been said not too long ago. After a while had past, both didn't know just how long it was, their food arrived and they had begun talking again. At first it was small talk, on how their day was, on their hobbies, the weather. Not too long after finishing their meal, Kasumi posed a perplexing question.

"Ranma, why do you always fight?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ranma was startled by this strange question. For one such as him, whose life revolved around combat, he had never questioned why he fought, he just knew that he had too.

"I mean, why do you always fight agains Ryoga, Mousse, Taro and all those other martial artists?"

"Well, that's simple, because I want to protect my honor"

"Is your honor that important to you?" Kasumi inquired, she had always believed that most things could be solved peacefully, without resorting to fists or violence. Of course, she was not naïve enough to think that everything in the world could be solved using words and ideas. But she generally believed that violence was a last resort.

For a person like Ranma however, he believed that fighting was the only way for people to understand the words behind the actions. He believed that words alone would not sway people. He had to use exhibitions of force to get people to see things his way.

"If there was one thing that my father taught me that he didn't screw up, it was a sense of honor, however warped his was. There are only two things that I have that I believe that I can be proud of, my sense of honor and my martial arts. I know that I'm not that smart, I'm not that talented in other stuff and I do tend to boast a lot. I'm not dumb, I know my shortcomings, but sometimes I just can't help being that way." Ranma was not stupid like most people take him for. It was just that he wasn't that good in learning concepts not related to martial arts.

He was passable at all his subjects at school, maybe even get a better than average score if he really applied himself, but he knew he could never get a really high grade, no matter how hard he tried, he just wasn't built that way. It was only in a physical sense, that he could excel, where his prowess was truly supreme. Few were on par with his level of understanding and expertise in the Martial Arts.

"You could learn more, we are not limited to just a singular focus. That's why many people enjoy many hobbies, some like stamp collecting, some like skydiving, some like swimming and some like just sitting around doing nothing. There are so many things that the world has to offer, we should not be tied down by neglecting other aspects of ourselves that we want to develop and nurture."

Ranma chuckled a little at that remark, "You're a little bit of a hypocrite aren't you? You're quite like me. Instead of focusing on martial arts though, you focus on only household chores and the like."

Kasumi's cheeks colored a little on this remark, "I guess… I guess you're right. I guess we both have something to learn then aside from martial arts and the marital arts."

Ranma smiled and eyed Kasumi, "I guess we do."

Their waiter sooned arrived with their food. And they ate in pleasant silent, offering an occasional comment on how the food tasted. Of course, the food was excellent, but somehow he liked the love and care Kasumi put into each and every meal that she prepares. Near the completion of their meal, Kasumi broached a sensitive topic for Ranma and she wasn't sure if Ranma would answer her or was prepared to answer her..

"Ranma, do you love me?"

Ranma was startled by her strange question and was visibly shaken up by it. However he had to be honest with her. He owed her nothing less.

"No, I don't. It's not like with Akane that I fell in love with her when I first saw her. But that doesn't mean I don't like you or feel attracted to you, or I wouldn't have asked you out. You're beautiful and you have a great personality and only a blind man couldn't see that. But I don't love you, at least not yet. But maybe... maybe I could. We're at the 'getting to know each other phase'. It won't be like when I was thrust upon Akane so abruptly and so suddenly that we didn't have an opportunity to get to know each other. In fact, now that you mention it, we didn't really get to know each other that well, even when we were dating. I won't make the same mistake that I made with her, to affect my relationship with you."

Kasumi smiled at Ranma. No, he certainly wasn't dumb at all. He learns, just like any other person and Kasumi was glad that that was so.

"I feel the same way. I don't love you Ranma, but like you said, I'd like to give 'us' a chance. You're a good person. You are strong, dependable and I know that, at heart, you're very kind. Now all we have to do is give you a lesson in humility."

They both laughed at that last remark and felt closer to each other than when they first came in. Ranma paid the bill and they both left the café. Neither felt like going home just yet and so they went for a stroll around the area.

They talked about how Kasumi loved to cook, at making something out of nothing. Her love to make people happy by doing the little things like arranging a set of flowers in a certain way, in adding that special something in the soup that makes people smile.

They also talked and laughed about Ranma's past escapades, like the experience with Herb, the battles with Pantyhose Taro and even the first time Ranma visited Jusenkyo. Ranma's stories would sound fantastic and amazing to the ordinary person. But to her, it was like revisiting old memories that filled her heart sometimes with sadness, sometimes with joy and sometimes just plain nostalgia.

"Ranma, do you ever regret coming to our home? I know that we have caused you a lot of pain, both emotionally and physically, Akane especially. And Nabiki has constantly manipulated you, even if it was for the greater good. My father hasn't exactly been a shining beacon of hope for you as well, always planning the next way to marry you off to Akane as soon as possible. And I…I have done nothing, and precisely because of that I felt that I did the worst thing of all. I always thought that things would have worked out for the best, and I didn't know how horribly wrong I was. I could have stopped them, but I didn't. I just sat idly by while they tried to wreck your life." Kasumi's tears were now flowing down her face, unleashing the torrent of feelings that she had kept inside her for so long. She didn't deserve this opportunity that Ranma gave her.

Ranma reached out his hand and slowly wiped the tears of Kasumi's face. She looked at his face, searched for any trace of anger, disappointment or sadness, but found none. There was only understanding visible on his features. He lightly laughed and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I have no regrets… in fact, meeting you and your family was probably the best thing to ever happen to me. For all my life, I have never known what 'family' meant. It was only through you that I knew what it meant. It meant that there are people who care about you, who will laugh with you and be with you when the chips are down. And while I am disappointed with some… well a hell of a lot of the actions of your and my family, I do not regret them. In fact, they have made me stronger. You are probably one of the best things that has ever happened to me, you have shown me kindness when nobody else had. You were always there to offer a kind smile or a word of advice. Maybe you did do nothing, but you were only following your own heart. It told you that that was the right thing to do. Sometimes we are powerless to what our heart dictates. So don't blame yourself for what has happened in the past. Look towards the future and live a life that you want, not what others want."

"Kind of like you?"

"Well, not exactly like mine. But maybe something…like that."

They walked home in silence, with Kasumi's hand held in his. Words need not convey the growing feelings they had in their hearts. Each one thought of each other in their hearts and minds. Wanting to see where this would lead to. A feeling of optimism swelled in their hearts… of a better future and of a better love in their hearts.

When they reached the Tendo gate, their hands separated. No kisses, no hugs, no whisperings of "I love you" came through. That would come to them if it worked about between them. But for now, only a smile was reserved for their parting. Although they knew it wouldn't truly be parting because they lived in the same house, but it still felt that way to them.

They entered the house separately. They knew they couldn't be seen by anyone, lest suspicion be thrown upon them. Kasumi entered through the front door, while Ranma had to leap atop the Tendo home and crawl through the window.

When Ranma entered his room, his father was soundly sleeping, obviously drunk, from the smell of alcohol on his breath. Ranma just laid down beside him and drifted off to a dreamless sleep. Kasumi's trek to her room however, didn't go unnoticed by the lone person that was awake in the house. She didn't want to confront her sister just yet, so Akane planned to confront her sister and her ex-boyfriend tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 3

As the dawn brightened into a new day, most of the Tendo household was still slumbering. There was only a small amount of light that was visible and even an early riser like Kasumi had yet to awaken. There was one only person who was awake that early morning, one that had awoken earlier as to confront the scene that she saw yesterday evening.

Kasumi was, of course, the first one to awaken from her slumber. She dressed in her usual garments, a beige housedress, and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast after tidying up her bedroom. She felt a strange sensation when she stepped out of her room, a feeling that she could not get rid of. But still relishing in the emotions that Ranma brought out in her yesterday evening, she just ignored it. It was a strange sensation though, she thought. Something akin to heaviness in the air, that something would go horribly wrong. She felt it on the day Herb came to Nerima and when Ryoga showed up.

One by one, the occupants of the small house awoke. They went about their daily routines, brushing their teeth, taking a bath, fighting with each other until one of them falls into the small koi pond. Once they caught a whiff of Kasumi's excellent cooking however, all of them filed into the dining room to partake in the excellent meal that Kasumi had prepared.

Breakfast was a pleasant enough situation, save for Akane. She had learned restraint two years ago, when Ranma decided to go out with her. Approximately two months after the incident with Saffron, Ranma and Akane had a serious talk. They didn't manage to work everything out at that point, but some major problems had been resolved, one of them was Akane's anger. Since then, Akane had been able to hold back from physically harming Ranma and instead when they had a problem, tried to talk things out between themselves. Of course, this was a gradual process. At first, Akane found it hard to not hit Ranma when a woman like Ukyo or Shampoo tried to talk to him. Eventually though, she managed to calm down due to Ranma's influence on her. And the fact, that Ranma was with her now and not with anybody else.

Ranma and Kasumi were oblivious to Akane's inner musings, but did not show any overt signs of affection towards each other. They acted as normal as could be, no secret looks or special smiles. They did not want to have both their fathers thrusting them upon each other.

Ranma knew that that was one of the reasons his relationship with Akane didn't work, no matter how much he wanted it to. Akane had too much excess baggage, she characterized Ranma as being the same person he was when she first met him. She never acknowledged that he could learn and grow, that he could be a better person. Sure, she was able to reel in her anger most of the time, but it didn't change the fact that Akane still didn't trust him or still regarded him as a miscreant.

This was partly due to the fact that they were forced on each other. Ranma knew that they were people who didn't like being told what to do, how to act, who to marry. So they were both against it from the very beginning and the feelings that they had towards each other then still lingered within Akane even when she was already Ranma's girlfriend.

Ranma shook his head out of his introspection and proceeded to gulf down his food. Although his eating habits have had some major improvements in recent years, he still ate faster than the average person.

Kasumi had different thoughts in her mind. After the feeling of giddiness had passed, a feeling of trepidation came rushing through her senses. She didn't know whether this relationship with Ranma would end up like her previous relationship with Ono Tofu. He was an honorable man, handsome and also a doctor. All wonderful qualities in a man, that was true, but whenever he was around her, he would act a little… crazy. When they dated, Kasumi could not get a word out before Ono sputtered out some incomprehensible prattle. Moreover, he always had this weird gleam in his eye that made Kasumi feel anxious to leave the doctor's gaze. Even though many considered Kasumi a paragon of virtue, in truth she was just as normal as any other person. She knew she couldn't continue to date somebody that made her feel that way and always acted insane when he was with her.

She knew he wasn't always like this, only when she was around. She had heard many people say that the doctor was usually a competent and dependable person. That was true, Kasumi acknowledged, but when he was around her, he acted like a veritable loon. And truthfully, Kasumi felt a little embarrassed to be seen with him. Not a very positive note on a prospective lover.

Kasumi left her thoughts and ponderings for later. She would think about them later. Right now, she had to finish her breakfast. She also ran a mental list of chores that she would have to do today. Sometimes she wished that the responsibility of managing the household would fall into someone else. She imagined being a normal teenager, doing things like shopping, going to the beach, looking at cute boys. And no sooner than she had that thought, she dismissed it. She couldn't change the past, and it wasn't good to dwell on things that may or may never happen, maybe in the future… but not now.

Akane thought of talking to both of them after breakfast, but decided not to. She had to go to class in the morning and would spend the entire day at school, so she decided to talk to them when she got home that evening. She went upstairs to get dressed and left the house in a hurried manner as she didn't want to be tardy.

After breakfast was over, Ranma went on to help Kasumi clean up, because he wanted to help her, and because he wanted to talk to her about last night. It was as they were cleaning the dishes that Ranma broached the subject of their date yesterday evening.

"Kasumi… did you enjoy last night?"

Kasumi smiled at his seemingly simple question. It had so much meaning behind it though. She could answer with nothing less but complete sincerity.

"Yes, I did, Ranma. I had a wonderful time." She truly did have a great time. Not only because he broke the monotony of her life, but also because he made her feel feelings that she never knew she could feel again.

"Would you like to do it again?"

"Of course I would."

"Would Saturday be fine?"

"Tomorrow, isn't that too soon?"

"It's never too soon. Sometimes, you have take life head on, never wavering, constantly looking forward to the joys of tomorrow and looking back on the wonderful memories of the past."

"When did you become such a philosopher?"

"Well… philosophy has been one of my favorite subjects in college. I've always wanted to learn something that would help my life, especially considering how troubled it is. At first, I thought, 'what was the use of learning these guys' theories?', but then, as I studied subject, I learned that what they said had much bearing in the world today and in my life."

The melody of Kasumi's laughter floated into Ranma's ears. He had always thought that Kasumi's laughter was something akin to a song. He could just listen to her talk and laugh all day. And he hoped that he would have that opportunity soon.

"You know Ranma… you have changed so much from the young man who came through our doorstep five years ago. You were brash, insensitive, arrogant and immature. Now, you are somebody who can be looked up to."

"People change, I had to more so than anybody else. I tried my best to change, not only for Akane, but also for myself. I didn't want Akane thinking that she was going out with somebody whose life singularly revolved around martial arts. I studied everyday to improve my speech and worked hard in my final year in high school to get good grades. I'm no Einstein, of course, but I'm not dumb either."

Ranma looked a little wistful, as if remembering a fleeting memory. It took Ranma a lot of hard work just to pay attention in class. At first, it was extremely difficult, however he never gave up. As with everything else that he has pursued, he just kept trying and trying and eventually he managed to spend more than five minutes studying and it just built up from there. When Ranma became Akane's boyfriend, he grew up everyday, becoming a bit wiser, a bit more sensitive. He learned other hobbies as well, not wanting to be stuck with the moniker of being just a 'martial artist'. Although he dabbled in a few hobbies early on, he finally chose cooking as his other 'art'.

The truth was… cooking was a lot like martial arts. You needed to study the fundamentals first and build your repertoire from that. You could create recipes from scratch using a mix of creativity and skill. All qualities inherent in martial arts, and it was no surprise to him that he wanted to learn more about the culinary arts. His primary interest was still in martial arts, but day by day he learned more about cooking techniques, recipes. What most people didn't know was that cooking was not only an art, but also a science. It was the science part that daunted Ranma at first. But like all the obstacles he has ever faced, he didn't let that stop him and eventually he was as good a chef as Kasumi. Although no one knew about this because he practiced in secret and learned on his own, he wanted Kasumi to know because he felt that she deserved to know this little secret of his. Moreover, like any human being, he also wanted to tell someone of his deeds, to let others know of his accomplishments.

"Would you like to talk a walk?" Ranma abruptly asked. He wanted to get away from the house and the prying ears that it might contain, wanting to keep his secret a secret still.

"I'd love to"

The couple was outside after a few minutes after Kasumi retrieved her shoes from the doorway. They were strolling along the sidewalk hand in hand, as if all the troubles in their lives and all the troubles that were to be had melted away in the solace of being together.

"You know Kasumi… I took up cooking a year ago."

"Really? I never knew that, but somehow I knew that if you wanted to do something else besides martial arts, that would be it."

"How did you figure that one out?"

"Well… martial arts and cooking have a lot of similarities…"

"Yeah, and I am pretty good at it too, like martial arts. I've thought up a lot of recipes. You want to try them out sometime?"

"Well, you're martial arts might be good… but I don't know about your cooking though"

"I'll prove it to you… I'm going to be the best chef aside from being the best martial artist"

"Only you can make cooking into another competition Ranma"

And they both laughed at this, how their words had escalated into another competition again. In fact, Kasumi was intrigued on how good Ranma truly was… was he better than her?. They laughed at how they could be together like this, when a year ago, both of them couldn't imagine being in a situation like this. It was as if the stars were aligning only for them.

And when they stopped laughing, they looked into each other's eyes and they both knew that this was it. This was the moment that this walk, that talk was building up to. They closed their eyes and their lips met in a soft and gentle kiss, like the touch of the wind on your face during an autumn's day.

They both opened their eyes and blinked. They both had the same thought, was this really happening? And in an instant, they both realized that it was happening and it was truly wonderful. They both smiled, as they took this brand new step in their relationship. Their tender moment was interrupted however, by the sound of a voice they dreaded to hear.

"I didn't want to believe it yesterday night, when the two of you came home so late. But here I am, seeing what I had suspected."

The couple turned their heads and saw Akane. She had just returned from college and usually walked home using this route. Her face held no anger, just disappointment. Inside, she felt betrayed. Was this the reason why Ranma left her, to pursue her sister? She bowed her head down and closed her eyes, to try and shut away the pain, to prevent it from reaching her eyes and forming the tears that she so desperately wanted to hide. She didn't want to appear weak, not in front of her sister and definitely not in front of Ranma. When she felt confident that her resolve would not falter she faced them again.

"Why… why would you do this to me? Not only you Ranma, but also you Kasumi, my own sister! I never thought that you would be the one to steal Ranma's heart. You have never shown any interest towards him, except as a brother."

Kasumi did not waver. Her sister's anger did not shake her one bit. She was not ashamed that she had come to love her sister's former boyfriend. Kasumi had always liked Ranma from the start, and what Akane said was true. She initially liked Ranma as a brother. However, in time, she had felt something more than brotherly love for Ranma… it became a growing attraction towards him.

But Kasumi always made sure she hid her attraction for Ranma deep within herself, not only for Akane's sake, but also for her boyfriend at the time, Tofu Ono. She didn't want to betray his love. And Kasumi liked him a lot, but somehow… he always didn't feel right to her. He pushed the term 'crazy in love' to whole new heights. There was this one time when they went out for dinner, that he started dancing around with a coat rack that he thought was her. She just couldn't take it anymore past that. After they had broken up, Ono had disappeared and was never heard from again. She only wished him good tidings in the future and hoped that he would find someone who would love him. It was for the better she surmised. Without her, he didn't act crazy and perhaps it was for the best that they went on their separate ways after a year of being together.

"I've always kept it inside of me. I wanted you to be happy Akane and I didn't want to jeopardize my relationship with Ono. But now, Ono is gone and you aren't Ranma's girlfriend anymore. Besides we just went on one date, we aren't even sure if it this will work out."

"It sure looked like it was working out to me, even working overtime"

"It only seems that way. We are moving in the right direction but nothing is set in stone. We might have problems along the way. Just like you and Ranma had. But I'd like for my relationship with Ranma to work."

"What are you trying to say? That my relationship with Ranma didn't work? You have no right to say that." Akane was livid, and she couldn't hold back the tears anymore and they fell drop by drop into the cold, grey sidewalk. "When he first came to our house, you and Nabiki pushed him onto me. You didn't even want him then. We have been through a lot more than the two of you have. He was supposed to end up with me! It was supposed to be a fairy tale, where we meet, hate each other, fall in love and then live happily ever after."

"Life is rarely a fairy tale Akane".

It was Ranma's turn to speak now. He didn't want to sit idly by while Kasumi took all the criticisms by herself. Ranma, too, had thought that it would be a fairy tale ending. Where they would have a house and kids, but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. Sometimes feelings change and what you felt before isn't what you feel now. It wasn't because Ranma was fickle, but he had always felt that Akane wasn't right for him. He just ignored it, believing that everything would work itself out with time.

But Ranma eventually acknowledged that it wouldn't. She didn't complete the other part of him. They were brash, arrogant, quick to anger and headstrong. Ranma needed someone who was level-headed and calm, someone like Kasumi. She complemented his qualities and made him a better person.

"I didn't break up with you because I wanted to pursue your sister. I broke it off because I knew that we weren't right for each other. We're too similar. We both get angry when someone insults our skills, we are both quick to judge and quite prideful in our own abilities. I need… we both need someone who can help us turn our weaknesses into strengths, someone to make us better. I found that with Kasumi and I am pretty sure that you will find it in someone else as well, just like I have."

"I just can't let you go. Not this soon. You might have fallen out of love with me, but I haven't. I still love you. I just can't throw two years away. And I can't believe that you could have."

"I didn't. They are treasured memories of something that could have been. But that's all they are memories, we cannot change the past. We can only look towards a brighter future and hope that we don't repeat mistakes of the past."

"I can't… I just can't. I have all these feelings in me, saying to me 'Don't forgive him', 'Hate him all your life', 'Make his life miserable' and I just can't seem to block them out. All I want right now is to hurt you… very bad. I feel as if everything I have ever known has been shattered. You hurt me Ranma… and I can't just deal with that in a few hours. I need time, a lot of time. And for now, I just can't bear to see you."

And as abrupt as she announced herself, she was gone, running towards the Tendo house. While Ranma and Kasumi just stood there, watching her figure disappear. "What do we do now?" Ranma asked. He could understand where Akane was coming from. He knew that she couldn't forgive him so easily.

"Why don't we head home? It's been a… an emotional night."

Ranma nodded his head in agreement. And they linked their hands together again and went home. They walked slowly, savoring the feeling of just being together. While Akane might have been able to shake them up a little, she wasn't able to diminish the slowly developing feelings between the two. Akane might have been a little right, that they shouldn't have gone out just as Ranma broke up with Akane, but sometimes… these kinds of feelings just come out of no where and hit you.

"What are we going to do about Akane?" Ranma asked. He knew that they couldn't just dismiss this. There were many ramifications to their actions. From their family to Ranma's rivals and friends, it would be felt throughout their entire social circle. Whether this would be for ill or not, was uncertain.

"I don't know yet, Ranma. But I hope that we can find a solution soon. I don't want my sister to feel such anger and sadness again. But I don't want to give you up either, not when we have something that has the potential to become something so much more." Kasumi's near-constant smile fell and she had a sad look in her eyes, as if all the years of pent-up sorrow had attacked her in an instant.

"I have been alone for a long time, even when I was with Ono. I never did feel quite loved by him. I thought that I would never find someone that would care for me, until a few days ago. Sometimes, it would seem to me that I had forgotten how to care anymore, that all I did was smile and cook and…"

"That's not true!" Ranma fervently interjected, "You are one of the kindest people I have ever met. You do more than that, so much more… You gave warmth and happiness and hope back to a household that, when your mother died, seemed to fall apart and fragment. You do so much for them and they rarely give anything back, if they give back anything at all. You are their pillar of support, the one that they can cry on, the one they can turn to for advice and the one they can share their hidden secrets and desires." Ranma stopped his justifications and turned around and looked up at the moon.

"Sometimes, I don't understand why they don't appreciate you more. I think… I think that the saying… 'You'll never know what you have until it's gone' certainly applies here."

Kasumi walked up to him and embraced him, putting her head on his shoulder. Ranma was a little surprised at the sudden contact but didn't move away.

"Thank you… for your kind words. You don't know how much that means to me. No one has ever said those words before. If you hadn't come to our house that day five years ago…I don't know what would have happened to my family… to me."

"You would probably still do fine without me, maybe even better."

"No, that's not true! You brought joy back into our lives again. It might not seem apparent. But all my sisters are better because of you. Akane understands her emotions better now and Nabiki… she's better than she was years ago. She doesn't stoop as low to get money anymore. You helped her through that remember?"

He did, Ranma couldn't forget that day, when Nabiki crossed the line. He knew that someday she would cross that line, but he just couldn't believe the severity of her act. It had always been normal or semi-nude photos with Nabiki, when either Ranma or Akane was taking a bath or sleeping. But when she put sleeping pills in both Ranma's and Akane's drinks and set them up for nude pictorials, she crossed the line.

Ranma was furious, he or she at the time, couldn't believe the extent of Nabiki's transgression against her and even against her own sister too. And so Ranma hit Nabiki…really hard. Nabiki had never felt pain in her life, having always kept it inside her and eventually locking it up so tight that she sometimes didn't remember how to feel pain anymore. She also loved control, and for once, she was not in a position of control. She actually felt fear for the first time, in a long time. This was true fear, not just fear from ghosts or vampires or some other silly fear, but a fear that shocked her to her core.

But that wasn't all Ranma did. He told her that she has lost herself…that she had gone too far in her pursuit of money. It wasn't about family anymore. It was about the money and the power it brought with it. Nabiki finally realized that what Ranma was saying was true, and offered her apologies to both Ranma and Akane, and no further incidents happened. She still made money through photos, bets and the like, but she knew now how not go too far… that a small push and a nudge were ok, but a shove was out of line.

"I do. And I guess you're right… I don't know what I would have ever done if I hadn't came to your home. I would still be probably on a training trip to God knows where. I still would have never met my mother nor known that she existed. I would have never had a home, a place where, at the end of day, I could go back to."

"Hmm… I guess we both owe each other a lot. So let's just call it even." And the smile that had left Kasumi's faced came back again. "Alright," Ranma said and he also smiled. They knew that they still had a long way to go… problems to solve… and obstacles to overcome, but overcome it they would… together.

When they got home, they went their separate ways again, Kasumi taking the front door and Ranma taking the window in his room. They both went to the living room where everyone was watching television.

There was a news report that was showing and a body mangled beyond description was flashed on the screen. It looked as if the face of this man was ripped in half, his arms and legs were torn off and his body split in half. It was a gruesome scene and the entire household was shook up with this news at how someone or something… could do this.

Ranma however was feeling a different emotion than the rest, a feeling of great foreboding, as if something was encroaching on the peace that they have enjoyed for two years and Kasumi was keen enough to pick this up from Ranma.

"Is there something wrong?" Kasumi whispered to Ranma, not wanting the entire populace of the house to hear her.

"I don't know… but something's going to happen. And it's not good," was Ranma's only reply.


	5. Chapter 4

For a few weeks, Ranma and Kasumi's relationship was progressing very well. They went on dates a few days a week and were getting to know each other fairly well already. They had gone to the park, to the movies, to restaurants and sometimes they just took walks around the district, enjoying themselves.

However the recent waves of mutilations have yet to cease. Eleven more victims have been reported in the three-week span since the first sighting. In all of the cases that modus operandi had always been the same, albeit in different ways. All of them had been mutilation to the entire body. Sometimes the head was chopped in half. Sometimes the entire body was. Sometimes their limbs were chopped off. Sometimes they were grinded into paste. But they all had the same theme, mutilation and complete carnage.

Although Ranma and Kasumi had been ecstatic at their new-found relationship, they were still uneasy about the serial killings that plagued the district. He felt that this was not the work of a serial killer, that there was some greater entity at work.

Kasumi had agreed with him. This was not the work of an average human being. No mere mortal could have managed to eviscerate a human body like that. No… it was a far more sinister being. One that was so powerful that even Ranma didn't know if he could stop a monstrosity like that. However, they had been fortunate enough to have been spared of the unpleasant experience of having meeting of the mystery killer or killers.

Akane was still angry at them, although that anger had dissipated a little. Although they doubted Akane would ever truly forgive them, they were at least on the path of being civil to each other. Akane didn't speak to them for weeks, and suddenly she started greeting them with a 'hello' again, which was a start. Kasumi felt a little sorry for her sister, but she was selfish, as with all human beings, and didn't want to give up Ranma just for her. Still, Kasumi did the best she could to console her little sister. Even if sometimes she just gave her the cold shoulder and didn't even listen to what she had to say.

They were walking home that fine winter evening. They had just enjoyed another date with each other at a restaurant not far from their home. Since dating Kasumi, he knew that he couldn't support dating Kasumi by himself and he couldn't ask his parents for fear of being discovered. So he took a job with the university that he was in to teach cooking to beginners. Ranma had felt that he had progressed enough in his cooking skills that he was adequately equipped to teach beginner students. Ranma also got to refine his own cooking skills by learning from his boss, Mister Shiguchi. It was a win-win scenario for both of them. Mister Shiguchi got someone to take care of the beginners, and Ranma got an opportunity to learn from Mister Shiguchi and get paid as well.

When they got home and went their separate ways. Each was surprised to be confronted with their respected fathers. Genma Saotome was waiting for his son with an austere look on his face.

"I know Ranma… what you have been doing all this time"

"What do you mean?" asked a surprised Ranma. Did he already know about him and Kasumi, but how? He didn't tell a soul about his relationship with Kasumi and he was careful about concealing his feelings for her in public especially inside the Tendo house.

"I know about you and Kasumi. Don't take me for a fool Ranma. I may be old, but I am not stupid."

"How long have you known?"

"Since a few days ago… I wasn't sure at first. But all those late night jaunts weren't extra training. I talked to Soun about it and he told me that Kasumi was coming home late too. It doesn't take a math genius to put two and two together."

"So… you weren't asleep?"

"Give me credit Ranma. I'm not a martial artist for nothing."

Ranma was astonished. He always thought that his Dad was a lazy bum who had forgotten how to practice martial arts. It took times like this to remind him that his father was one of the premiere martial artists in Japan. His surprise lasted only for a second though and he resumed his confrontation with his father.

"I thought you would be jumping for joy now. Our relationship is progressing better than my previous one. And Kasumi is still a Tendo and your agreement would still be honored."

"It's not about the agreement son. I thought you would know better than that. It's about honor. In all our travels, I have never betrayed your mother in any way. I had always kept to myself. I know that I have had a lot of transgressions against her… and against you. But adultery has never been one of my faults."

"Honor… what do you know about honor? You, who sold out his own son for fish and rice, who engaged him to various women in exchange for insignificant things like food. You… have no right to tell me that. Sometimes I don't even know how you became my father."

"I know I have not always been the best of fathers. But I've tried to bring you up the best way I could. My methods might have been questionable… but I have always wanted you to become the best martial artist in Japan."

"Was the Neko-Ken just questionable? It scarred me for life! Now, I can't even be near a cat and when I do, I turn into this crazy… thing and become so uncontrollable that I lash out and attack anybody." Ranma was angry now. How could his father justify himself after everything that he had done to him?

"Like I said, my methods might have been questionable. But I have always wanted you to become what I couldn't become, to do what I could not do."

Ranma was surprised at this statement. His father admitting this to him, how could that be? After all these long years, he was finally trying to reconcile himself with his own son and Ranma couldn't believe it. He had to have an ulterior motive.

"What do you mean?"

"Before you were born, but after I met your mother and had gotten married. I was on the fast-track to become the best martial artist of my generation. This was about twenty to twenty five years ago. However I fell short… I was defeated by a teenager, much like you actually, arrogant, impetuous and quick to anger. He told me to 'pack it up and go home you old geezer' and that I wouldn't be able to become half the martial artist he was unless I trained under the harshest conditions, under the harshest supervision while enduring great hardships. And he was right, I couldn't. I was far too old. You however… can. You can become the best. Think about it, without training that you have, would you have been able to do what you do now?"

Ranma thought about it… and begrudged that he was right. His father had taught him the fundamentals of the art, trained him to endure great hardship and for all his faults… he was right. Without him, he wouldn't be the martial artist he was today. Ranma wasn't even sure he would be a martial artist without his father, or at least wouldn't be as good as he was now.

"You're right. But let me ask you, why are you telling me this now? For all this time you have led me to believe that you were a selfish, arrogant and dishonorable… why?"

"Because… I am your father. It was my responsibility to right my mistakes. That is why after your training we came here and why I pushed so hard for you and Akane to be married. You thought it was because I wanted to retire happily, that was only a part of it… I mean I am old. I want to enjoy my life. But the primary reason was because I wanted you to be happy." Genma looked a bit sadder, wanting his son to know his motivation for constantly pushing him Akane together.

"When I was young, I was actually a quiet and disciplined man. I became the man I am now, for your sake. Your anger and resentment against me fueled your training… it gave you something to aim for… to beat me. Now… now, you have far surpassed me, I have known that for a long time. And because I was a quiet and disciplined man, when I met your mother I thought nothing of her at first. I didn't want to seem weak. It took a good friend's prodding and pushing to finally get me to finally ask her out. That man… was Soun Tendo. I have been that man's best friend ever since."

"Mr. Tendo? That's impossible. I couldn't imagine him making a single decision by himself." And it was true. It was usually his father that instigated the plans to get him and Akane together. Sound usually was Genma's lackey and accomplice in his schemes but never the mastermind.

"That was after his wife died. But before that, he was very confident and strong-willed. When his wife died however, he lost faith in himself because he couldn't save her, couldn't protect her. I told him that there was nothing we could do, that sometimes life just does that to you. But he refused to listen to me and blamed himself. He never was the same after that." Genma still remembered that Soun Tendo, the one that helped him find and marry his wife. The one that always helped cheer Genma up and told him to lighten up. He was a good friend… and he still was, albeit he was not the same Soun Tendo that he once knew.

"So what did he do to get you and Mom together?"

"He told me to lighten up, that I was too strict and too disciplined. Believe it or not, I was a lot like a monk in my younger days. It was Soun that helped me become like this now. He brought me to Karaoke bars and nightclubs where we faked our ages. We drank beer and got drunk off our asses. Eventually…I loosened up and gained some confidence thanks to Soun. He told me to just go for it and I did. A few years later, we were married."

Genma sighed, it had been a long time since he had told anyone of why he was the best of friends with Soun Tendo even after his wife had died. Everyone else had deserted the weeping man. Soun had become inexplicably weak and disheartened, unable to perform the functions that would help him get a job and support his three children. However Genma had stuck by him and that was why he felt it was his obligation to have their children wed, why they made that agreement twenty years ago.

This, however, was only secondary to Genma's true reason and that was truly to let Ranma be happy. For a long time, he had trained Ranma under the harshest conditions, showing neither compassion nor love to the boy. He knew that it was all for Ranma's sake, but sometimes he felt regret at the actions that he had taken. They would be as fleeting as the wind though and once again he would be determined to see that his son grow up to become the greatest martial artist the world had ever known.

"And that…is my story. So you like Kasumi? Then you should be married immediately!"

"Don't start again with this. This is the reason why Akane and I didn't work out. These things can't be rushed. We need to get to know each other better. Kasumi and I have been going out only for a short time. Give us a few more months or maybe even another year to decide and maybe then we would know."

Ranma began feeling annoyed. It seemed as if his dad was still not listening to him. Ranma empathized with his father at the dedication he had for his friend. It was something to be admired about his father. However that still doesn't change the sins of the past. Although Ranma understood more of his father now, and for that, Ranma was grateful.

"Look son, I don't want to pressure you. However, I just want you to know that you have to seize the opportunity. Don't just let it slip by your fingers. That was what happened when the young martial artist defeated me. He ended my hopes and dreams. If you wait too long, what's stopping anybody else from taking her? It just takes one brief moment to take away your happiness… One little event is enough to shatter your life forever. That is what I'm trying to tell you."

"I know what you're trying to tell me Dad. But I'm not you, and the circumstances have change. I will not marry Kasumi immediately, until we get to know each other better. But I promise… that I will do my best to be careful."

Genma was silent, and Ranma didn't know what to make of this. The revelations that Ranma had received just a few moments ago were surprising to him, but it did not change anything. Ranma had always known Genma as an inept father. Even after he explained his reasons for his actions, it did not change the fact that those events had occurred. Ranma's resentment toward his father had dissipated somewhat though. At least, now, he knew why his father did what he had to do.

"Alright, I don't know what will come of this, but you have my word that I will not interfere with your personal relationship with Kasumi. I just hope that you gained something from what I have said. I am not seeking forgiveness… it is much too late for that. What I ask for is understanding, that you know my reasons for doing those things to you. I do not justify those things that I did to you as right, but like I said, I only wish for you to know and understand my reasons."

"You're right. I can't forgive you… but I can understand. It must have been tough to go through that. But you had no right to force that kind of life unto me." Ranma sighed, "But we can't do anything about that now. Thanks for telling me about this Dad."

"You had the right to know, that is why I told you all this."

They parted ways after that. No words were further exchanged, none were needed anymore. They each understood what the other had said. Forgiveness would not be immediate, Ranma would not forgive the one who forced him learn the Nekoken, who sold him for food, who engaged him to so many women. The process would be long and hard, but they were well on the way to reconciliation.

Ranma went inside the kitchen to look for Kasumi. He wanted to speak to her about what his father said and he knew that the kitchen was where Kasumi would often be. And he was right, she was there. He approached her slowly, as she seemed to be in deep contemplation. Ranma didn't know what Kasumi was thinking about, but he had a feeling that it had to do with the talk her father gave to her.

"What did your father talk to you about?"

Ranma's inquiry surprised Kasumi, with a visible turning of the head from her.

"Oh, Ranma… you surprised me a little."

"I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, it's all right. My father told me that… that I should be happy, that's all. He didn't say much. But I knew he had a million things he'd like to say. I guess he just couldn't find the words to say them."

"My father told me a lot of things as well. And it gave me some interesting surprises"

And so Ranma told Kasumi of the things his father had said to him. Kasumi's faced registered various emotions, from sympathy to sadness to disappointment. Ranma had always wanted someone he could talk to, to vent his problems, to confide his secrets. Being alone wasn't Ranma's favorite past time despite his many outbursts of stating so. Being the best didn't afford many luxuries when you are alone.

"I… I don't know what to say Ranma. You've always thought that your father treated you very poorly and that he always bartered you for mundane items. I don't know if you can forgive him for the sins of the past, but at least now, you have a clear idea on why your father did what he did."

"I know, I've got to clear my head. Would you like to take a walk with me?"

"Of course"

They always enjoyed walks together whenever they had the opportunity to. And this was a very opportune moment to do so. Ranma needed some form of resolution to the conflict, and Kasumi desired more moments to be alone with Ranma.

The sky seemed to watch as the couple strolled through the various streets and the structures they hold. It silently thought of a way to bring the two closer together and find a resolution to the problems that seem to trouble them. So the sky gave the couple bright stars that seem to twinkle like diamonds against a black satin sheet, a perfectly molded, circular moon that seemed to give just the right amount of light to render the most beautiful picture of a happy couple sitting down on a park bench, alone and content.

"When you look at the stars Kasumi, what do you feel?"

Kasumi smiled at Ranma's question. She had always loved the stars and tiny twinkles they emitted. They made the night sky all the more lively and exciting, like a dancer's metal skirt that shimmered in the light when her hips sway to the beat of the rhythm. When she was a child, Kasumi always loved to just gaze longingly at the stars, wishing, in some vague sense of hope, that she could scoop up all those bright points in the sky, put them in a jar, and tuck them in her cupboard. It was a childhood fantasy, but nevertheless, one that she had cherished to this day.

"I remember a time when I was once a child, when I didn't have any obligations, when I was free. I used to have this fantasy of keeping all the stars for myself. It's funny, now that I think about it."

"Well we all do it. I remember when I was a child that I used to fantasize about eating the biggest meal that I'd ever have in my life. It was a big feast, with chicken, beef, pork, noodles and a lot more food. I dreamed that it would keep me fed for the rest of my life and that my stomach expanded like a balloon."

They both laughed at that remark. The sound of their laughter drifted across the night air, enriching further the time that they spent together. Then there was silence again. An amicable silence that drew both of them closer and closer until their lips finally met. The kiss was longer than their first one. This one was full of emotion, and with it carried the words that didn't have to be said to be understood. Through actions alone, emotion alone the both of them could literally touch their love.

The kiss was followed by another then another until they realized that they had both been gone for quite some time. Although both their parents knew of their relationship, they still didn't want others to know about it, most especially Akane. Luckily for them, most of the household were out for the night and wouldn't be back until tomorrow or a few days later, as it is with the case of Nabiki, who had visited a friend's house outside the city for the weekend. Only their fathers were inside the house. Ranma's mother went to view a kendo competition with her friend out in Kyoto and wouldn't be back until next week.

Still, they didn't want to worry their fathers, so they went home. They still wanted to savor their time together however, and walked slowly. They wanted to enjoy every bit of time they had because they knew that a single moment wasted will never come back again. Their love had blossomed from a small bud in both of their hearts to a blooming flower right now. They still needed time, to see if that flower will become a beautiful blossom, but they were on the right track.

When they reached the Tendo house, Ranma felt something was instinctively wrong. Similar to the one he had gotten a few weeks ago, when he saw that news report about that horrible mutilation. However this one was much more sinister, much more prevalent.

"Something's wrong… very wrong."

"What do you mean, Ranma?"

"I don't know, but I guess we're going to find out soon. Let's head inside."

Ranma took Kasumi's hand and went inside to search for the source of his anxiety. What awaited them was an unbelievable sight. Their fathers were dead or to be more exact, were horribly mutilated. It was just like the news report a few weeks ago. The room was torn apart with claw marks on all of the walls, the door of the room was ripped apart and there was blood on the walls and the floor as if a battle had taken place in the living room.

Their fathers' faces had been torn off, their limbs were severed and there was blood all over their bodies. It was such a gruesome sight that Kasumi fainted at the sight of the scene, while Ranma was greatly shaken up. He had just talked to his father a few hours ago and here he was now, dead, in the most horrible way possible. Ranma's reaction was not better than Kasumi, his mind shut down. He couldn't believe it, they had been taking their first steps to reconciliation and now he was gone. Ranma thought about his father after their talk and he thought that he should give him another chance, now that he knew what he knew. But now, it was too late. There was nothing he could do. All Ranma could do was to just slump against the wall, the shock overriding and taking over Ranma's mental faculty and rendered him helpless.


	6. Chapter 5

Kasumi awoke to the sound of silence. The darkness engulfed the entire room as if she was deep in the ocean with nothing around of her. That was certainly what she felt. It wasn't because she feared the dark. It was because she hated being alone, truly being alone. Even though she might be the pillar of strength to her family, she wasn't invulnerable. She was human, and like most humans she had weaknesses as well as strengths. No one ever thought that the death of her mother affected her, because she showed a strong face. But she too, was affected. She had now had a chronic fear of being alone.

Kasumi had thought that her mother would always be there for her and that they would be together forever, like most children. But when her mother died, she was shocked that the one that promised her that she would never leave did leave. And ever since then, she had been afraid of loneliness.

That was why she constantly went out to visit Doctor Tofu under the pretense of borrowing a book. Of course, she had an interest in medicine, but it was more for human contact than the books, which she could have borrowed from the library. And despite Doctor Tofu's lapses of insanity, which Kasumi never failed to miss, she continued to visit him. She had even liked him for a while, but that attraction had subsided with the years, as she saw more of Ranma and as Doctor Tofu continued to have his lapses of insanity in her presence. She knew that things would not work out between them.

She frantically got up and opened the lights. It was dark outside, and she surmised that it was evening already. How long had she been out, she asked. She opened the door and went into the kitchen and saw Ranma hunched over the kitchen table in a chair. It was twelve o'clock or nearly twelve as the clock that hung up on the kitchen wall showed. It was quite late already so she tried to wake Ranma up so he could get to his futon. It was then when she remembered what had transpired a few hours ago.

She had fainted at the sight of their fathers dead before their eyes. It was a horrible sight, one that she would do well to forget. However, she could not. It was seared into her memory like a brand on cattle. She was shaken once again, but suddenness was gone so she was able to compose herself.

It was just now that Ranma was stirring. He was uttering some grunting noise about not wanting to wake up, but Kasumi insisted. And so, Ranma awoke from his blissful slumber. As he was gathering his bearings, Kasumi tried to prepare a late dinner for the two of them, but could not muster the strength to prepare anything to fancy, so she resolved to fix the two of them sandwiches instead.

"Kasumi… what time is it?" Ranma's weary voice asked.

"It's about twelve o'clock"

Ranma's face showed a little surprise at that statement. "Wow, I've been asleep for almost five hours." He still felt weary, evident by droopy eyes. "I've been waiting for you to wake up, but I got hungry and I went into the kitchen to find something to eat. I guess I must have fallen asleep while I was."

"That's alright. I'd just woken up too." Kasumi felt tired and happy at the same time, tired because it was the middle of the night, happy because Ranma was still here and not off to fight some unknown thing, leaving her alone. Apparently Kasumi's worry had shown on her face, by the weird look Ranma was giving her.

"Is there something wrong, Kasumi? Your face tells me that you're worried about something."

"No, it's nothing. I just feel a little tired after just waking up."

"Well I am too," Ranma stated with a smile. "I guess we both are," a smile that eventually turned into a frown. Ranma didn't know what to do about his and Kasumi's fathers' deaths. This is the first time he has been in this kind of situation, one where the enemy is not just some random martial artist that is trying to defeat him. This time, it's something that kills. And for the first time too, he felt fear. An indiscriminate killer was worse than Saffron. Saffron, at least, he knew was corrupted by power and wanted to destroy the springs of Jusenkyo. He had a tangible goal. This killer, however, was different. It killed without prejudice, without a clear goal in sight. Those kinds of people were the worse, Ranma thought.

A rustle in the bushes was heard by Ranma and his senses automatically went into alert mode. There was something wrong. There was a biting, gnawing feeling deep inside Ranma that said, "Run away!" However, Ranma was not one to run away from a fight, so he stood his ground.

"There's something here Kasumi, it might be the thing that killed our Dads. Stay close to me and I'll protect you." Ranma was more scared for Kasumi than for himself right now. He couldn't go all out, not with Kasumi in harm's way. He had to some how get her out of danger before he could use his full strength.

Once again, Ranma heard a rustle in the bushes again. This time, Ranma was certain that there was something still here. And as each second passed by, he grew more and more certain that it was the thing that killed his father. Then suddenly a huge creature emerged from the bushes. It jumped out of the bushes and landed in front of Ranma and Kasumi. It was a gigantic creature. It looked like a cross between Big Foot and a werewolf. It had yellow canine-like eyes, with rows of sharp teeth gaping from its maw. It had thick brown fur, similar to a grizzly bear's, only it was much thicker, similar to the hide of an elephant. It had claws the size of butcher knives and was easily over nine feet tall. Ranma, however, wasn't fazed a bit. He had faced greater challenges before, with more atrocious creatures than this one like the Orochi and Pantyhose Tarou. What did shake him was when the creature suddenly started talking.

"Ranma Saotome," it said. But it was more like a growl than speech, a series of snorts and half-grunts, truly an animal's speech. "The council of five pays its respects to you. You are a strong warrior, and the council acknowledges this. You defeated the demi-god Saffron, and that, by all means, is no small feat. That is why you need to be eliminated."

"Why? I didn't do anything to you, so why come after me. I haven't even heard of this council of yours. So why do I need to be eliminated?"

"It's not what you did, but more precisely, what you are about to do. You see you are strong, and will eventually become stronger. The council had only two options," holding out two large fingers, as if to emphasize this fact. "One was for you to join us as a warrior of the council," Ranma immediately interjected to this remark, "I would never join people who kill others with no reason."

"We know. The council made an extensive background check on you to make sure you were evil enough to join our ranks. Unfortunately, you weren't. Although you have committed past evils, they weren't grave enough to merit entry into our ranks. So the only choice the council had left was to eliminate you," the creature grinned at this fact, baring his large fangs that seemed capable of crushing cars based on sheer size alone. It seemed ready to pounce, as it was hunched back, as if preparing to lunge at Ranma.

"Were you the one killed my father?" Ranma angrily demanded. He wouldn't forgive this monster if he did. Ranma was not intimidated by the beast's size or apparent strength. Either way, he would not allow this creature to roam around free within the populace causing undue havoc. So either way, Ranma was going to fight the beast. He just wanted to know whether or not killing him would avenge his father's death.

"You mean the old bald man in the white gi? Yes, I did. I also killed that long-haired man with him. They were leisurely playing that stupid Japanese board game when I decided to make them my first victims of the night."

"And what about those others a few months back, were you responsible for them too?"

"Yes, I was. You see, we who are under the Council of Five had to kill to sustain ourselves. You humans consume food and water and convert it into nutrients. We of the Maethra are also like that, except we consume human flesh, particularly faces and limbs, they contain the most energy."

"Maethra, what are the Maethra?" Kasumi asked meekly. She was trembling with fear at the sight of the large beast, but with Ranma's hand in hers, her fear was somewhat abated.

"Well little lady, we are the Maethra. We are from the demon plane and we do the bidding of those who summon us, as long as they can sustain us with food and death, we will do anything they want to.

"You sick freak! I won't allow you to insult her like that. I'm going to give you the worst fight you've ever had. One you won't be able to crawl away from. I'm Ranma Saotome, and I'm the best martial artist in Japan, and I never lose," Ranma arrogantly boasted. He did know what this opponent had in store for him, but it was better to go in with all guns blazing, save for some of his other techniques like the Hiryu Shoten Ha that might hurt Kasumi. He would just learn from there and adapt like he had always done in the past.

Ranma launched at lightning fast strike at the hulking beast, however it just shrugged it off, as if Ranma's attack was just throwing a paper ball at a brick wall. The creature just laughed at the futility of Ranma's attack, it didn't even bother to retaliate. Ranma, however, would not be deterred at beating this creature that killed many innocent people. A loud Mokou Takabisha could be heard as Ranma launched the Ki attack at the creature. Once again, the attack landed a direct hit, but didn't even seem to damage its fur.

"Let me tell you this, your attacks are futile. We of the Maethra have skin stronger than the metals of your world. Nothing of your world could possibly harm us," the creature snarled out. Then it let out a loud piercing howl, so loud that Ranma and Kasumi had to cover their ears to prevent themselves from falling unconscious at the hypersonic cry the creature was emitting. "I am Varruk, one of the four who serve directly under the council of five. Today, Ranma Saotome is the day you die."

"I don't care who sent you, you flea-bitten furball. But I'll send you back to hell, where you belong." Ranma intensified his attacks on the creature, but the creature barely had to defend itself, deflecting Ranma's strike with ease. Ranma couldn't understand why he couldn't hurt Varruk, he was hitting him with all his strength and Varruk wasn't even fazed. Ranma, however, felt like he was hitting a metal wall and it wasn't denting one bit.

Then Varruk suddenly slapped away Ranma like a flea, sending him crashing through the walls and eventually landing inside the kitchen. Ranma made an effort to get up, but couldn't. The blow felt like ten bulldozers crashing through him at the same time. Varruk made his way through the debris and gripped Ranma by the throat, choking him. Ranma tried valiantly to loosen Varruk's grip on him, to no avail. It was like trying to get open a steel vise with a toothpick.

Little by little, Ranma was losing consciousness. Little by little his eyes were closing. Struggling seemed harder and harder, just giving up was getting easier and easier and Ranma was slowly succumbing to the ease of death, of just giving up. The pain would go away, no more rivals, no more of Nabiki's hare-brained schemes, no more of Akane's anger and cooking, no more annoying Amazons, no more having to save the world from evil gods, no more Kasumi…

At that thought Ranma's eyes snapped open. He couldn't give up, not yet. He had something with Kasumi, he could feel it. And after such a long time of suffering, he finally had a little bit of happiness. He wasn't about to just to give up the ghost and go down. However, Ranma didn't know what to do. His attempts to dislodge himself from Varruk's grip were futile at best.

Varruk just kept smiling all the while, his grip ever tightening. He was glad that Ranma hadn't given up. He always wanted his victims to be struggling to the very end. His pleasure at seeing Ranma struggle was halted when a pot hit his head, momentarily distracting him. This allowed Ranma to pry open Varruk's grip and escape from Varruk's grasp. Varruk growled angrily when his victim had escaped. He turned to see Kasumi readying another volley of kitchen utensils.

Kasumi couldn't sit idly by anymore, not when Ranma was desperately struggling to break free. She had been afraid of Varruk ever since he leapt out of the bushes. She had been paralyzed, shocked by fear since then. She could only watch helplessly as Ranma fought the monster. But the sight of Ranma being choked out of his life was enough to spur her into action. She couldn't be afraid anymore, not when she finally had a chance of having a real relationship. Despite her fear, she knew that the only way to save Ranma was for her to act.

Ranma was cautious this time and didn't attack immediately; Varruk was too strong for him. Even though Ranma touted to everybody that he was the best, he knew when he was beaten, especially by a much more powerful opponent. Varruk was leaps and bounds ahead of Ranma, thanks to his demonic strength and endurance. What else could have been in store for Ranma? He knew that demons possessed different demonic powers. Varruk fought him only with his raw strength and almost managed to pulverize him.

Once again, Varruk readied himself to pounce when he suddenly stopped and craned his head to the side as if listening to something. He emitted a grunt and a snort, then turned and said, "You're lucky. The council has stayed your execution. It seems that the council has more important things for me to do than kill you," he paused and continued in a condescending tone, "Currently you pose no threat, so they have decided to waive it off for now. However, don't be complacent. I will come back for you. Be stronger then, so I will enjoy killing you even more." And just as fast as he had crashed through the wall, he disappeared again leaping north off into the night.

This time, Kasumi did not faint. She knew what would happen if she showed any weakness whatsoever, Ranma would again leave her alone, isolating himself. He would be afraid and he was already afraid right now, if she guessed correctly, of what would happen to her. He always looked after her, even before when they hadn't started dating yet. Kasumi couldn't allow that to happen, she had to be the paragon of strength. To show Ranma that she could handle it… the danger, the ferocity and tenacity of his enemies and even his own incompetence that had lead him into countless trouble in the past.

Unbeknownst to Kasumi, Ranma was actually thinking the exact opposite of what Kasumi's assumed reaction of Ranma would be. He was thinking of convincing her to leave with him, so that no else gets hurt. He assumed that Varruk or his council of his didn't know his family or didn't go into much depth in their information-gathering because he didn't recognize either of their fathers. Therefore the only person aside from Ranma Varruk had seen, was Kasumi, putting her in harms way. Unlike Nabiki or Akane or any of their friends, which Varruk has not seen yet, Ranma and Kasumi were both known to him and would be hunted down. So he couldn't leave Kasumi alone, and he knew that if he left Nerima, Varruk and the council would watch him… follow him. It would be for the better if none of their remaining friends or relatives knows of their departure. Therefore no communication would be given to them. The couple would just disappear, like how mist fades away at the sight of the sun.

"Kasumi… we have to get out of here now, and you have to come with me." Truth be told, Ranma was quite nervous. Even though he had grown to care for the brown haired woman and he knew that she cared for him too, he wasn't sure if she cared enough to go with him.

Kasumi on the other hand, was a little startled. She thought that Ranma would leave her all alone to protect her from the things that were hunting him. Instead he actually asked her to go with him on his journey of isolation. Well, it wasn't quite as isolated now that she was coming. However, she was elated that Ranma wanted her to be by her side. A moment of silence passed through as Kasumi's thoughts drifted through her mind. Ranma took this as a sign of rejection and tried not to look despondent, although he was horribly failing. Kasumi noticed his sadness and immediately consoled him, "Of course I will, Ranma."

Immediately upon hearing those words, Ranma's despondency instantaneously vanished. Replacing it was one of pure joy, at having a companion to travel with, and someone who would care for him. Truth be told, he wanted someone on his journey that wasn't some self-obsessed martial artist supposedly giving him help, but otherwise plotting his downfall. He wanted someone who would not judge him, accept him for who he was, and care for him. He never found that with Akane, she would always judge him and would feel embarrassed at the fact that her boyfriend could change into a girl with cold water. Furthermore exacerbating the situation, Akane's deep-rooted insecurities, combined with her own jealousy would propel him into the air more times than one. Akane's extreme moods also frustrated him constantly. When Akane was happy, she was deliriously happy, giving him hugs, kisses and of course, sex. When she was mad, however, she was like a rampaging bull, demolishing everything in her path and that path consisted solely of Ranma. Small things would set her off, and would cause her to cause tremendous amounts of physical harm to him. Although Ranma could shrug off the physical harm, he couldn't shrug off the emotional harm he had endured.

They both went upstairs to pack their bags, they had to leave immediately lest Varruk changes his mind and comes back to slaughter them or some other being similar to him, a Maethra, attacks them once more. At his current strength, Ranma knew he could not defeat beings such as them. Ranma knew he had to become stronger, but right now, it was imperative for both Kasumi and him to leave.

After an hour and a half of packing, Kasumi descended the stairs to find Ranma leaning on the railing at the bottom of the stairs. Kasumi recalled that Ranma had almost no notable possessions, he never bought anything for himself and Akane hadn't gotten him anything in the years that they were together. Kasumi remembered when Ranma first came to the Tendo Dojo; all he carried was a single brown knapsack and not much else. To him, packing would take only a few short minutes. To her, it was difficult to pick out the items, aside from the essential things like clothing, which she wanted to take with her when they left. She knew that she couldn't bring all of them, so she had to carefully choose which items she would be bringing with her.

"Took you long enough," Ranma said with a smile.

Kasumi colored a little at that remark and smiled back. She was still pretty apprehensive at leaving the only home she had known for more than fifteen years. However, her reluctance subsided as she reveled in the knowledge that she would be with Ranma. She had come to care so much for the young man in a few short months. It was nothing short of magical, Kasumi thought. She giggled at that thought, for she had seen many feats of magic done before her very eyes, and yet… this feeling was more magic to her than any transforming curse or bird people. Sometimes, the magic that is most important is that which does not need any flashy effects or long incantations. Sometimes, it's just a feeling that's unfamiliar welling up inside of you… and with a flash, an epiphany of sorts, you realize that… "It's magic"

Ranma offered his hand to Kasumi, and she gladly accepted it. She carried only one suitcase and he, his knapsack. Ranma had no problem carrying both and thought about what his next move would be as they exited the place that he had come to call home these past few years. However, circumstance can be such a fickle thing and here he was, forced to travel once more. Well, at least he had the company of a beautiful woman, Ranma thought.

Ranma knew he had to get stronger. To fight those monstrosities called the Maethra, he would have to find power. For now, he would have to seek out those who were the strongest in Japan, he would have to learn in a short time, but Ranma was always a quick learner and picked up techniques like a sponge to water. His thoughts lingered on the possibility of Kasumi learning martial arts, if nothing else, to protect herself. There are many dangers that would await them, and it would do well for Kasumi to learn the Martial Arts. However, he would not push her, should she not want to pursue them.

Ranma respected Kasumi's choice to forego Martial Arts when she was young to take care of her family. And he would never usurp Kasumi's right to make her own choices. He knew what that felt like while traveling wit his father, and he never wanted anyone to go through what he went through.

As the cloak of night was shed to reveal the light of day, one couple was still walking the streets of Nerima. They marched on a steady pace, steadfast in their stride, with a kind of steely determination that could be gathered from the way they carried themselves. It was as if a chapter of their lives had closed, while a new one was opened. With the pen poised on writing on the blank page, they set off on their quest to find the strength to fight back the evil that was hunting them.

---------

This arc is finished. It took me almost half a year, but I finally finished the first arc! I hope it won't take another half-year for the second, but I don't make any promises. Thanks to all the people who have read this fic and have reviewed, my eternal gratitude to you all. There is no joy for an author compared to the feeling that his work is being read.

Now, for a little background on how I came up with this story, I wanted to make a story that had a Ranma and Kasumi matchup, one that had depth. I decided that a save the world plot would suffice. I also wanted to bring out some of the other problems of both Ranma and Kasumi into light, although this has not been showed in the story yet. This will be apparent in chapters to come. I have fleshed out the story quite a bit, and I know what direction I would like to take this fic. Take note, that this fic is primarily a love story about Ranma and Kasumi, and all the action and death and despair all lend to achieving the ultimate victory, finding happiness with love. This is what I had in mind when I was writing this story.

I hope that this little background would lead you, the reader, to appreciate this story even more. Writing or more to be more exact, thinking up new, fresh and innovative ideas is one of the challenges of an author. I don't know if I managed to be original or innovative, I've tried the best I can. But honestly, somewhere out there, I think that my story is just a replication of that story. Although everything here is a product of my imagination, there will always be a chance that elements in my story might be found in another.

I hope you have enjoyed reading "To Be a Hero," so far as much as I have enjoyed writing it. The next installment of Ranma and Kasumi's journey should be up in a few weeks to a month. I have a lot of things to do, from work to school to other stuff. But I'll try my best to deliver the next chapter ASAP. Keep reading, R & R, and thanks again for your continued patronage in reading.

- Sephiroth M. Elmdor


	7. Chapter 6

Ranma awakened with a loud grunt, he felt like he had been asleep for days. He was still groggy, feeling tired and refreshed at the same time. Tired from just waking up, and refreshed from having a good night's rest for once. He scratched his head in an attempt to alleviate the drowsiness he was experiencing. He surveyed his surroundings, a spartan room with bare walls. The stone walls looked as if they had existed for a long time, filled with scratches and marks and deep recesses. There was only one lone window among the four corners, illuminating the entire room with bright sunlight. Ranma took a peek outside the window and saw the sun in the distance, slightly above the long stretch of mountain ranges. His view was short-lived though, as the sun blinded his eyes and Ranma had to avert his gaze from the round ball of flame.

He looked at the sleeping bag which he brought with him on this journey. It was the only object within the room. There were no dressers, no cabinets, no pots and jars, nothing. It wasn't because it was prison cell. No, not at all, it was actually a meditation room in a Tibetan monastery. Where the monks usually come in with only a pair of candles, assume their meditative stance and ponder upon the mysteries of the universe. Ranma thought of Kasumi, wondered where she was right now. She was probably safe from harm, seeing as the monks within the monastery would protect her if she should ever come to harm. A day has passed, Ranma surmised, since the old monk found both him and Kasumi and rescued them. So Ranma decided to reminisce, to the time before they scaled the cold mountain ranges of Tibet in search of the temple he was staying in now.

It's been a long time since they'd journeyed together into the unknown, Ranma thought, nearly a month. After leaving the dojo, Ranma immediately sought out help from nearby dojos on possible training, but none were able to teach Ranma anything new. Then, one of those old masters that he visited told him to go to Tibet and seek training with the monks there.

"They provided training not only for the body, but also the mind," he said. Ranma had little money, from what he saved that wasn't taken by Nabiki. He didn't really use money all that much. However, he did have enough to buy tickets for him and Kasumi to go to Tibet. Once they had arrived however, he had little left, so both of them had to go to the temple on foot. Further complicating matters was the fact that they had little money to buy supplies for their journey. Aside from what they brought and what they had on their persons, they could only afford to buy a few bottles of water.

They had started their trek near the foot of the mountain ranges that comprised the Himalayas. Their destination proved elusive as they had no idea where the exact location was, only the general vicinity. They knew that it wouldn't be easy finding the monastery that was situated on the face of the mountain. And, as luck would have it, there was a blizzard at that time and the snow was almost a foot high, it was so high that their lower extremities were numb from the intense cold. Still, they would not be swayed from their task, of finding the monastery where Ranma hoped he would find something to aid him in the daunting task of taking on the council of five.

Still… as they were now, it would seem that they would forever be lost. They could see nothing but craggy peaks amid the sleet and the visibility was so low that they could not see anything more than five feet from their position. Ranma navigated through the thick fog of sleet and snow by just heading in one direction, with no deviations. Ranma knew that this was the general direction of the monastery, as pointed out by one of the villagers in the place where they purchased their supplies. So he reasoned that heading in a straight line, they would arrive eventually at the monastery.

The situation started eroding that train of thought. The pair had been walking for more than two hours and so far they had not seen any structure, any person, animal, tree or anything else besides the high peaks of the Himalayas. Step after step, foot after foot, there was just snow and more snow. It seemed endless, and to add to their dire circumstances, they were running out of supplies. Some of their food had frozen due to the intense weather conditions, some had already been consumed and some were unusable in this kind of weather.

The blizzard continued to rage on, with the wind howling as if trying to say, "Stay away! Stay away!" to the couple. It never seemed to abate. In fact, it had seemed to have grown even stronger. To Ranma, that only meant that they were getting nearer and nearer to their destination. However, Kasumi's constitution was not as sturdy as Ranma's and was struggling to stay conscious for the last half-hour. She was halfway between the conscious and unconscious realms and was struggling to free herself from the darkness' grasp. She knew what would happen if she should fall asleep here, she might never wake again. There were multitudes of diseases waiting to strike in the cold, from the mundane like influenza to the grave like hypothermia or pneumonia, and since they were miles from civilization, even something as trivial as the flu could turn deadly.

However, Kasumi could stay awake no more. There are limits to the human constitution, and as valiantly as Kasumi has been, testing her own limits. She eventually succumbed to a cold slumber. Ranma felt Kasumi slump beside him, and he feared for the worst. He tried holding her close to him while reassuring her that everything will be alright. But that attempt was futile, she was still unconscious. Ranma felt powerless to help Kasumi, he didn't know anything about medicine except basic first aid, which did not cover being stuck in a blizzard, isolated and distant from civilization.

So Ranma did the only thing he could do, and that was cry out for help. Ranma had always been a proud man, but in the face of a grave danger that he could not defeat by himself, he would gladly receive help from others. This was one of those times. He could not let his pride override his concern for Kasumi. He could not help her, so he had to find someone that could. But he was stuck in an icy deathtrap. A frozen hell, where instead of jets of fire coming out of the ground, there was only cold solitude, a white blanket enveloping the land as far as the eye could see. He didn't know whether his words…his voice would reach others, but he could only hope that it would. He too, soon grew tired after all his vain cries for help. It seems no help would be forthcoming. The cold was sapping him of his strength as the blizzard seemed to intensify, little by little, even he felt tired. He could not keep his eyes open, even standing was a great challenge for him. But he would not give up, for he would not allow Kasumi to die.

In the past, Ranma often fought for himself, for his pride, his masculinity and for his competitive spirit. It was only during rare times when Akane was kidnapped or a large threat against the people he loved appeared like Herb was Ranma able to utilize his true potential. Tapping into a sliver of the power inside him, but as long as he fought only for himself, his true strength would never be realized. Right now, he was fighting against nature to protect Kasumi, that desire overrode all else, whether it was pain, the cold, the growing weight that was threatening to crush him into the ground without provocation. He would not give the cold what it wants, not without a fight.

Still… the storm grew even more ferocious. The howling winds were battering Ranma's ears, the falling hail was stinging Ranma's eyes and the cold was threatening to freeze his skin and render him a frozen block of ice. Minutes went by, and Ranma grew more tired by each passing second. And at the last moment, went Ranma was about to flitter into the realm of unconsciousness, a lone figure seemed to be approaching them. At first, Ranma attributed this to a mirage, similar to one seen in a desert due to extreme heat. In this case, it was extreme cold. But then, to the surprise of Ranma the figure reached out a hand and said "Sleep, and tomorrow your training begins young one." And so, at those words, Ranma smiled and finally gave in to the sweet whisperings of the cold of "Sleep… sleep".

Ranma's reminiscing was interrupted by the sound of laughter. A familiar, melodic voice came fluttering into the stone gray room. Ranma got up from his sleeping bag, put on his shoes and left the room. Ranma didn't have much in terms of sleepwear and so he decided to sleep in the clothes he was wearing the previous night. So far, he had not seen a soul except for the old monk who had not said naught but a few words since the day they were rescued.

When Ranma first awoke, he was greeted by the sight of an unfamiliar room. Albeit it was the same room he had awakened just now, but then… it was like a stranger. Kasumi lay next to him, unconscious. Then the old monk came in, he was silent for almost the whole time. It was the night as darkness illuminated the room. The old monk was bringing in a candle for light, and after placing the candles near the door, approached Ranma and told him, "Patience… rest." Ranma couldn't afford to waste time as the council may attack at any time. For now though, he had to listen to the old monk, seeing as he was probably part of the monastery. He had to make a good first impression. So he just nodded his head at the monk and rested beside Kasumi once more. He knew how important the first impression was, recalling his first encounter with the Tendo sisters. Patience… if there was one thing he learned when he was dating Akane, it was patience.

She always blew up at the smallest sign of trouble, always blaming Ranma for her troubles whether or not he truly was the cause of them. And every time he tried to talk to another girl, for whatever reason, she would be extremely jealous. This jealousy usually led to Akane smashing Ranma's head with a hammer or sending him flying with a tremendously strong punch. Once, about seven months ago, Ranma decided to visit Ukyo since it had been a few months since he had seen the Okonomiyaki-making girl. She was still in Nerima ward, making those Japanese pizzas or Okonomiyaki, although they didn't see each other that much anymore since Ukyo had gone to a different university than Ranma; that and the fact that Akane won the battle of the fiancés. Once he arrived at the shop, he chatted up Ukyo and talked about old times and also recent happenings in their lives.

To the extreme misfortune of Ranma, Akane had decided to visit Ukyo and talk about old times as well. However when Akane saw Ranma and Ukyo laughing and having a good time with Ukyo, she flew into a fit of rage. She automatically assumed that Ranma was having an affair behind her back and consequently started to pummel him. Ranma, being the ever thoughtful boyfriend, did nothing to stop her. The result was Ranma sailing into the horizon once again, much like a shooting star.

Those kinds of cases were not isolated incidents, they happened very frequently. But Ranma never protested, because she knew Akane was constantly insecure and that she had to validate herself by achieving something that many had coveted, the affections of Ranma. However, that was not enough, Ranma assumed that Akane's chronic insecurity would dissipate when they got together, he was wrong. It seemed to intensify altogether. Akane wanted to hoard him all to herself, not letting any woman even look at him without a glare. She would take total control of his life at times, but Ranma constantly reminded her that he loved her very much and if he spoke with any woman, it was only as friends and nothing more. However, Ranma's assurances did little for Akane's self-esteem. She was still constantly jealous feeling that she was not enough for Ranma.

If he could be patient with Akane, then he could be patient with his lessons. His only reservation to this slow pace was that many more innocent people may be harmed whether or not they were connected with him. He knew that the killings would spread and soon it would engulf the entire nation of Japan into chaos. He could not let that happen, not without a fight.

So he followed the Kasumi's angelic voice. This lead him to a gigantic room with a golden Buddha in the center, whether this was real gold or just a big yellow facsimile, was left undetermined. Bright red pillars jutted out of the four corners of the round ascending to the top of the seemingly all-encompassing ceiling. There were small benches around the Buddha, which was surrounded by bright red fences. Seated on one of those benches were Kasumi and a bald-headed old monk. His eyes seemed to be perennially closed and had a kind of mystifying aura about him that exuded importance. The old monk had on a stoic face, which was a stretch given how wrinkled his face looked like. However with his quiet stoicism also came a feeling of peace.

Ranma approached the pair, his steps reverberating on the sterile stone floor. It echoed around the nigh-empty room and led Kasumi and the old man to look in his direction.

"Ah… Ranma, you're awake!" Kasumi's eyes seamed to shine with a brightness that he had never seen before, and to Ranma, she looked more beautiful than ever. The intense gaze of the monk aimed at him however, led Ranma to focus on the monk.

"Are you one of the monks here in this monastery?" Ranma asked, to which the old monk replied affirmatively. "I need your help," Ranma started. He explained Kasumi and his story to the old monk, from the attack of the council of five to their arduous journey to the monastery. After listening to their story, the monk fell silent. He remained silent until Ranma grew impatient.

"Well? Will you help us or not? If, not then we'll leave. What do you say old man?" Ranma impetuously declared. Kasumi was surprised at Ranma's impatience, "Please, Ranma. Don't rush him. He did save our lives and he had been nothing but kind to us in our stay. He nursed both you and me back to health." Kasumi acknowledged Ranma's silence to be understanding and didn't pursue the matter further.

The old man chose that moment to speak. "A test," holding out an old bony finger as if to say number one with a crooked smile on his face was his only statement to the couple. "Follow," the monk said and the both of them followed him through the dark, long and winding halls of the monastery. It seemed like a maze more than a monastery in Ranma's mind. Its layout resembled a fortress, with high walls and virtually no windows apart from the sole opening in the room where he first awakened. What was peculiar was that it seemed that the entire monastery was devoid of people. Apart from the old monk, they had not encountered a single soul in the large structure. Ranma wasn't even sure if they were even in the monastery, for all he knew they could be anywhere.

The old monk led them through many corridors and passages, and as they winded through them, it seemed to get darker and darker and Kasumi felt a little fear. But that fear was quickly banished when Ranma took her hand in his and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, I'll always protect you," which brought a smile to Kasumi's lips. Eventually they reached a long narrow corridor which the old man stopped and turned to face Ranma and Kasumi. "Prepare," was all he told them and plodded on to the front of the door, waiting for the couple to get ready.

Ranma didn't knew what kind of test would await him beyond the large cavernous doors, however he did some stretching and basic exercises to loosen himself up. He didn't what to make of their sole companion. He didn't feel anything from the old monk, but he knew better. Those who were powerful knew how to hide their aura, and only when they were in battle did they reveal their true power.

"Ready?" the old monk asked, Ranma was feeling a little anxiety over the monk's seemingly one-word enigmatic statements and responses. Was this part of the test? Did the test start at the very beginning when he woke up? Questions that Ranma hadn't thought of began to fly in his mind. It was crucial that he receive training to defeat the enemies that awaited him. He didn't want to waste any valuable time. The council and their servants could strike at any time and there was the impending thought that they might even know that they were at this monastery and were just waiting to attack.

"Yes, I'm ready. I'll take on whatever you are going to dish out!" Ranma boastfully exclaimed. "Enter," was the monk's only response. He tapped the door once and it opened with a loud rumbling. The stone doors slowly opened up to a pitch-black darkness. It was the kind of darkness where no matter how the eyes adjusted, you still couldn't see anything. It was similar to looking at the eye of emptiness.

And yet Ranma was unfazed by the darkness, having battled darkness all his life, whether extrinsic darkness, the greed of his father, the jealousy of Ryoga or intrinsic, his own ego and indecision. Ranma stood tall and gave the darkness a stoic gaze, showing neither fear nor brash arrogance.

"Kasumi, stay here, I'll take care of this." But the monk had other ideas.

"No," the monk shook his head and then pointed at Kasumi, "Come"

"What? Why does she have to fight? She doesn't have to do this! I'll fight for the both of us!" Ranma exclaimed. He didn't want to see Kasumi be hurt, but he was also puzzled why both of them had to participate, although he did his confusion with a mask of anger. It wasn't necessary for both of them to undergo this test, was it?

Ranma was startled at the old man's explanation which was the longest thing he had said since he had seen him. "Not a test of strength," shaking his head again, the monk started "but a test of minds, a test of wills." He pointed to the both of them, "Both must participate, if both have desire to survive."

Ranma acquiesced, he had no choice, and if Ranma interpreted the old monk's words correctly, there would be no physical harm that would come to them. But mental harm was as worse as or maybe even worse than physical harm. Ranma had experience mental scarring first-hand and it was no picnic.

A hand was suddenly placed on Ranma's shoulder. Ranma looked at the slender hand at the owner of the hand, Kasumi. "It's alright. As long as you are with me, I believe that I can take on any challenge." Kasumi smiled that ever knowing smile of hers again, "Put a little more faith in me. I may not be very strong, but I still believe that I can make a difference."

With those words of reassurance, Ranma decided to place his faith and trust in Kasumi. "Alright, but promise that you don't do anything to endanger yourself. When you feel that you can't take it anymore, just give up alright?" Kasumi nodded and softly replied, "Alright."

"Very well, we will both proceed." The monk held up a hand, "One thing. The mind is capable of infinite possibilities, possesses unfathomable power and unlimited potential." With that statement, the old monk turned around and disappeared into the darkness.

The couple looked at each other. One had fear, not for the self, but for the other. Another had trepidation at the challenge they were facing. One had confidence and courage, another had faith and trust. Both were armed with different weapons but had the same goal: to pass the daunting challenge presented before them.


	8. Chapter 7

There was darkness, an inky black visage that engulfed the entire room. Not a speck of light could be found, not a light could be traced. It didn't matter whether the eyes were closed or not, the result was the same, complete and total darkness. And for Kasumi, it meant fear. Not that she was afraid of the dark, no far from it. She relished the dark, where she could think and reflect about the day that had past. And it was a quiet diversion from the ever "colorful" life of Ranma. Although she liked the change in her life since Ranma had come, she still wanted the occasional moments of solace.

No, with those kinds of darkness, she was always in control. Now, however, it was different. She couldn't just turn off and on the light to induce the darkness. Here, the darkness was perpetual, uncontrollable. Aside from loneliness, Kasumi deeply feared situations that were uncontrollable. That was why she was the one always planning the meals, doing the various household chores. It gave her a sense of control. That she was able to place objects the way that she wanted after cleaning them, that she had the final say on what to buy for the house, that she had the final say on what to eat during breakfast, lunch and dinner, these things gave her the feeling that she was in control, even if only a small control over her life.

She never wanted to feel the way she felt when her mother left her and her sisters alone. She didn't want to feel powerless again. So she whole-heartedly accepted the role as homemaker, caretaker and surrogate mother to her two sisters, as much for her sake as for theirs.

Kasumi, at first, was calm. She tried some breathing exercises taught to her by Ranma to help control her fear. But then time passed, and Kasumi wasn't exactly sure how much time that was. A minute…thirty…an hour, she couldn't be sure. She had no way to tell how much time had elapsed. To her, it seemed like she was there for days already, but she knew it was impossible.

Shortly after she and Ranma were led into the room, she was told to keep walking until she was told to stop. Ranma, however, was guided by the old monk himself and had no verbal cues. Therefore, Kasumi had no idea where Ranma was. She had only managed about twenty paces before a booming voice told her to stop, since then, nothing. The only things that greeted her were the darkness and the silence.

She tried not to let the fear affect her, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't scared. The darkness felt darker and darker and time felt slower and slower, in fact, it felt that time was at a standstill for Kasumi. And moment by moment, she felt the fear seep in little by little. Still, Kasumi struggled to reign in her fear. A constant tug-of-war was waging within Kasumi's mind. Should she run? Should she scream? Should she give up and just crumple into a heap on the ground? Kasumi knew that the answers to those questions would be, no. This wasn't simply her test; it was also Ranma's.

There was a reason why both she and Ranma had to undertake this test. Although she had no knowledge as to what that reason was, she could surmise that how she fared in the test would be inexplicably tied to how Ranma would be judged. That was why she could not fail, that she could not just succumb to the temptations offered by darkness or the peace of mind of giving up. No, she steeled herself, she would fear, but she was not going to let that fear get the best of her, not by a long shot.

"There are three questions to be answered," the booming voice said. "My name is Sang-Ya. I will be the one to test you. As my disciple said, this test is a test of will, of minds. After the three questions, there will be a task. Only after that task, will I judge you and Ranma worthy of training. At this temple, the mind and the soul are more important than the body because they are able to transcend the limits that are bodies cannot."

"I understand," Kasumi replied. She was correct in assuming that Ranma's fate was linked with hers. Despite her fear, she could not fail him now. It would be fine to her to just give up now and go home empty-handed, but she could not and would not let Ranma be deprived of the training he deserved. Although she knew no amount of preparation would enable her to expect what was to come, she was still nervous.

"The first," the voice bellowed, "will you yield?" And suddenly an unbearable pain hit her, excruciating and raw pain. She didn't know where it was coming from. All she knew was that every part of her body was experiencing unbearable pain. Her limbs, her body, even her mind ached with a crazed stinging that she had never experienced before in her life. She could not think nor feel. Wave after wave of pain wracked her body and she collapsed onto the ground. First falling on her knees, and then crumpling in a heap on the stone floor.

"I ask again, do you yield?" Kasumi could barely hear him speak. All she wanted to do was to tell someone to make the pain go away. But she was unwilling to yield to the pain. She told herself to be strong and not give up.

In response to her defiance, Sang-Ya merely replied, "It is of no use to resist, you cannot endure the pain, I wish of no harm to come to you. So please, yield". He said it in such a sympathetic tone, a far cry from the booming voice just a few minutes ago, that Kasumi was tempted to just yield against the pain that had made her shrivel up on the floor with her hands balled up into fists, pounding the stone ground in an effort to lessen the pain.

Tears were welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill due to the severity of the pain she was experiencing. It took a colossal effort for her to focus her thoughts, and remembered Sang-Ya's words, that this was a test of mind and spirit, not of body. The pain was only in her mind; she half-concluded, half-hoped. She focused all her thoughts on the fact that the pain was not real, that it was all simply in her mind.

She knew she was on the right track, or else the pain wouldn't have grown more and more intense each passing second. However, contrary to the many preconceptions about her, Kasumi was a very strong-willed person, a testament to the constant anarchy that permeated her life. Hence she redirected her mind from the pain, to more pleasant times, times when her mother was still alive, the times that she had recently spent in Ranma's company, events that gave her the strength to block out, or at least alleviate, the pain.

Still, eventually, Kasumi was overwhelmed with pain. She could not hold back her screams for fear that she might go mad with pain. Her loud scream, seemed to pierce the darkness, reverberating around the seemingly wall-less room. She was on a precipice and with one more step; she would be hurtled into the wide expanse below. Then, suddenly the pain stopped. As quick as a blink, the pain had been spirited away from her body, as if the pain had never existed in the first place. She stood up from her embarrassing position from the floor and brushed away some dirt that had accumulated on her clothing. It was a good thing she had decided to dress practically for their trip, wearing heavy cargo pants and a wool sweater in anticipation for the extremely cold weather. Still, she was caught unprepared by the frigidity of the weather in Tibet. It was a good thing Ranma was there to guide her through and give her support.

"You have passed the first test admirably Kasumi Tendo. Many have succumbed to the temptation of yielding when faced with extreme physical pain. And yet you have endured it bravely. However, as I have said before, this is not a test of the body, but of the mind. The test that you had experienced was easiest out of all the trials and it is during the second and third trials where even the most seasoned of warriors give up."

Kasumi wasn't sure how much more difficult the next two tests would be, and truth be told, she felt more frightened than she had been at the onset. This time it was not because of the darkness, but at the prospect at the future tests. She assumed that if the first was to test the resiliency of her mind against physical pain, then the second would probably be a test to gauge her capacity for mental pain, which would mean preying on her deepest fears and overcoming them.

She didn't know if she was prepared to face them just yet. She has lived with those fears for so long, and although she knew that they would have to be addressed, she preferred to reserve personal introspection and reflection during times of silence and solitude, not in situations such as these, where one mistake could cost her and, more importantly, cost Ranma dearly. However, there was nothing she could do about it. She could only hope that she would be ready for whatever there was to come.

Soon after she had managed to gather herself together, in a blink her entire world changed, literally. After just one blink, she no longer found herself within the confines of perpetual darkness and was instead treated to the sight of, what looked like, her living room back in the Tendo household. How or why she was magically transported there was a mystery to her, whether or not this was real was also a mystery to her. She didn't know what the capabilities of the monks residing in the temple were.

Were there minds powerful enough to propel people over a thousand miles of ocean, she asked herself. Logically, she thought that would be impossible. During the course of her life though, she had to sometimes forgo logic entirely in the favor of reality. The deft-defying feats that she had witnessed during the many years Ranma had stayed with the Tendos had driven her to occasionally toss reason out the window.

Her thoughts were broken by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. Kasumi was surprised to see Nabiki casually descending the wooden steps and heading into the kitchen. Maybe she was transported back to Japan and this was the home that she had left not so long ago.

Soon, Nabiki poked out her head from the kitchen and asked Kasumi, "What are you doing standing there in the middle of the living room, sis, something wrong?" Kasumi shook her head in response, "I was just thinking about something." Nabiki seemed to accept the answer and went back into the kitchen, presumably to get something to eat or drink.

Kasumi noticed that the clock over the doorway to the kitchen read six o'clock and it was already dark outside. She wondered where Akane and Ranma could be, and she also noted that her father was sitting on the porch alone, and not with Ranma's father. They were usually playing shogi around this time and yet Genma was no where to be found.

Kasumi entered the kitchen after a few brief moments of musing. She decided to make dinner so that when the two got home, they would all be able to eat together. "Nabiki," Kasumi started as she gathered up some ingredients from the various cupboards and drawers. She then took the vegetables and brought them to the sink to be washed and cleaned.

"Yeah, sis?" Nabiki leaned on the white tiled kitchen counter and observed Kasumi as she worked magic in the kitchen. "Do you know when Ranma and Akane will be home?" Kasumi finished washing the vegetables and was quietly chopping and slicing with great deftness of hand.

"Hmm… they should be getting back home soon. They had to stay after class because Ranma caused some sort of mayhem again in school. It was probably the principal trying to cut his pigtail off again probably. You know how he gets when his pigtail is threatened."

Kasumi chuckled, she remembered when Akane and Ranma were still going out and one night they were arguing because of Ranma's hair. Akane wanted to cut off the pigtail and suggested to Ranma a cleaner hairstyle, while Ranma wanted to keep his hair just the way it was. She kept making all of points, like how it would be easier for Ranma to find a job with a more clean-cut haircut. Ranma, however, retorted that he would probably just end up being a physical trainer or a P.E. instructor or some other occupation that would relate to what he did best, physical fitness and martial arts. However even if he did look for a job, he said, he would look somewhere where keeping his pigtail was allowed rather than work for a stuffy company without any concessions at all.

Kasumi intervened however, making the argument cease. She told Ranma that he looked fine just the way he was, and that he shouldn't work for someone that would force him to change the way he looked. Personally, Kasumi thought that Ranma was much more distinct and handsome with the pigtail. It set him apart from the rest because few wore their hair that way. However, as much as Kasumi wanted to, she had not voiced her personal reasons for not wanting to have his pigtailed lopped off.

Kasumi returned back to the present after that memory had drifted into her consciousness and was puzzled by Sang-Ya's motives on why she was here. Whether this was just an illusion constructed inside her mind or simply a physical construct, she was puzzled as to what kind of test this would be. It was strange why Sang-Ya chose to send her here. Whether or not the Ranma that was coming home was the real Ranma, she was in the dark on. But however this test pans out; she would do her best, just like what she has done in everything else in her life.

She finished chopping the vegetables and resolved to play this out the only way she knew how, by doing the same things she always did back home, normal things. It was after she had placed all the vegetables into a bowl that she had a strange feeling. It was as if there was someone calling on her, yearning for her to come outside. It was an urge so great that Kasumi could do nothing but succumb to it. She wiped her hands on her apron and went out to the front gate. She opened the door to see both Ranma and Akane on the other side of the street.

Apparently Akane must have noticed her opening the door and was waving at her with a smile on her face. Kasumi smiled in kind and also made a small wave directed at her as well. Ranma also had a smile and a wave for her. He seems so real, Kasumi thought. But she couldn't think that he was the real Ranma, not yet, not without further proof.

Upon reaching the curb and they stopped for a short while to see if there were any cars speeding by. Finding none, they both walked towards the house, with Ranma in front and Akane trailing behind him.

The next few seconds were surreal for Kasumi. It was as if everything was in slow motion. It was one of those moments where the few seconds that passed by seemed like an eternity. As Ranma crossed the street, out of nowhere a truck came barreling down the street and crashed right into him. Akane was spared, however, as she was walked a distance from Ranma. It was like seeing fly getting swatted by a fly swatter.

She couldn't explain what she was feeling at that moment, it was as if someone tore out her soul and stomped on it, no, trampled on it with a herd of elephants, for the pain she was feeling didn't compare to anything else that she had felt her entire life. At first, she couldn't believe it, not Ranma, the man she had always known to be a strong, confident man. Insanely strong martial artists, demons, ghosts, and even a god couldn't stop him, but a truck did? She fell to her knees, her body losing all function. Her brain locked up, no thoughts came upon her. She willed herself to pull herself together, to not completely swoon on the concrete sidewalk.

So she tried to think through the haze of confusion and denial of how these events could have transpired, all around her people were gathering around Ranma. He was hurdled a few meters when the truck crashed through him, but that only served to injure him. What killed him was that the load of the truck, almost a few hundred kilograms of blocks, fell on top of him. As strong as Ranma was, the force of the blocks falling on him was too much for even his vaunted strength to overcome.

All that Kasumi could feel was a dull ache in her heart. It didn't matter that he was most likely just a construct that Sang-Ya created in this fictional world, it was still Ranma. All she could do was just let the tears fall, and one by one they did. She quietly sobbed and she couldn't bear to see that scene one more time, but again and again, it replayed in her mind. She couldn't escape from the visions her mind was sending her.

She knew, with certainty now, that this world was fictional, because despite the fact that Sang-Ya wanted to test her and Ranma, she knew that a monk couldn't have possibly killed Ranma. So silently still she wept, despite the fact that the Ranma that was killed was probably an image created by Sang-Ya, despite the fact that everything that had happened was a fabrication.

It was so real, she thought, it could happen. It wasn't any unnatural force that killed him, one that could happen once in a blue moon, but something that was as mundane as a traffic accident. She tried to tell herself again and again, that it wasn't real, that the Ranma she saw being crushed by the cement blocks wasn't real, but just the possibility that that could happen, and that traffic accidents happened more than demons or demi-gods trying to kill him, was why her tears came stronger.

She noticed the sirens that were approaching, and she dried her tears with the apron still tied around her waist. She tried to hold the face of someone who was strong, but inside she just felt like curling up into a ball and crying her eyes out until this test was over. Was this to test her ability to watch Ranma die in front of her eyes? Then she has failed miserably, no matter what the circumstance. Even now, with this impostor, she was reduced to blubbering mass. What more if the real thing happened?

Still, she steadied herself and closed her eyes, listening to the whirring of sirens as they come closer and closer. She focused trying to block out the pain and sadness that was welling up inside her chest. She could hear the crowd that was gathered around him chattering away, as if he was a relative or close friend. Then it stopped, all of a sudden there was silence. And when she opened her eyes, she found herself once again in the Tendo living room.


	9. Chapter 8

Kasumi was confused at this sudden turn of events. One moment she was on the sidewalk and another moment she was back her in the living room. Her mind tried to make sense of the impossibility of what happened. She watched Ranma die right in front of her eyes, then she tried to block out the pain by concentrating and in the process of concentration, she was somehow transported here, again.

Kasumi could not hide the confusion that dawned on her perpetually beautiful face, eventually her face turned into a scowl. Despite looking like she wasn't affected by anything all the time, she was. She was just very adept at hiding her emotions. This time, she couldn't hide the pain that she was feeling nor could she hide the anger she had for the situation that she was in. She didn't usually show frowns or scowls or sad faces in the presence of others, but she wasn't a saint or a nun. She felt the same things that other women felt, joy and love, pain and sadness. It was only because she had to set a good example for her family why she had to constantly throw up a façade of good cheer. Right now though, even if her entire family appeared in front of her, she wouldn't have been able to keep her emotions in check, not inside of her and definitely not on her face. The only thing that prevented her from bursting into more tears, were the confusion and anger that she was feeling over her sudden transposition in location.

She could remember back to the first time she had been attracted to Ranma. Before that day, Kasumi only considered him to be akin to a younger brother, one who was too young for her romantically. At first, it had merely been an admiration of his strength, his character, his indomitable will to succeed to become the very best; those were the qualities that she lacked and saw in Ranma.

As a child, she had always been vivacious. Full of life and energy, she constantly harassed her mother and father with her unbounded enthusiasm. She could never be seen without mirth in her eyes or a smile on her lips. Not a fake smile, not like the ones she has grown so used to giving like lottery tickets, but a genuine smile, a smile of happiness, of warmth. Nowadays, her true smiles were dispensed very scarcely. Most of the time, they were reserved for a certain significant other that was constantly on her mind. Lately, most notably after they left the Tendo household, she had been able to smile freer and more often. She had begun to see the happiness in the little things once more. It was a startling revelation that just a smile from Ranma brought her joy and lifted her spirits.

After her mother's death, however, she had been relegated to the post of merely being the caretaker of the family. She was the supporting actress, never the leading lady; she was seen but never heard; she was the pillar of strength and yet the epitome of fragility. In contrast, Ranma was always the hero, was always seen and heard, and was always strong against adversity. Sometimes she thought that she had forgotten how to do all those things and that she could never regain those qualities that she lost.

She was attracted to those qualities that she lacked that she saw in Ranma. Although she had come to like him for more than just that, back then she had always felt the strong throb of her heart whenever he was near. She felt hot and flushed, and merely the touch of him would make a smile appear of her face. At first she thought it was simply a passing feeling. As time went on though, she couldn't deny that she had grown to like Ranma more as a brother. There was just one obstacle to her feelings, Akane.

At the time, Ranma was still dating Akane. And as her attraction grew, so did jealousy. She could not stifle that ache in her heart whenever she saw Ranma with Akane. Still, she hid it all in her pretense of a kind smile and calm demeanor. Kasumi knew that she could not usurp Ranma and her sister's relationship, not when it was doing so well after an extremely rocky start. No, she couldn't deny her sister's happiness for her own. But sometimes, she would dream that instead of Akane, it would be her that Ranma would take out to dinner. That it would be her he kissed, her he held in his arms. And then she would shake her head and dismiss it as fast as she thought about it. Kasumi was very grateful that Ranma came into her life; it allowed her to experience love again.

Then a voice quietly drifted into her ears. Softly, it said, "Do you want to see him die, again and again and again? If not, then yield to me Kasumi Tendo." Kasumi's voice was quivering but she remained firm. "No, no matter what happens I will never yield."

"So be it," answered Sang-Ya. "Then you will be here for all eternity. Time has no meaning here and you will never grow old. But this scene will repeat over and over and over again until you yield. Never forget that."

Then Kasumi realized what this test was, a test of her emotional strength. However, knowing that didn't make it any easier for her. In fact, it might have gotten even more difficult to complete this test. She already collapsed into a fit of sobs after watching Ranma die once, how much more when she watched him die more times? She didn't know if she could endure any more emotional attacks. It crushed her heart every time she though about it. And here she was, about to be subjected to the same thing again. She rather would've jump off a cliff, fight a mountain lion or try to steal a precious jewel than watch Ranma be crushed again.

And yet… she couldn't fail Ranma. He risked his honor to take her with him and abandon the Tendo home, so she owed it to him to be strong. Still, she couldn't imagine something like this. In the months that she had grown to care about the man, she could not bear to lose him… Kasumi valiantly tried to seek the inner strength that she had found in the first test and had found none. It was Kasumi's belief in Ranma and Ranma's trust in her that gave her the strength to endure the pain that she had been experiencing. With this challenge however, Ranma was crushed… killed. And with him, her strength had also been crushed and killed. She realized that as much as she didn't want to fail Ranma, she couldn't do it. She couldn't watch it a second time. She didn't know if it was love, certainly she had not experienced enough it to know about it was. But if love was caring about someone so much that it hurts when they go away, they maybe Kasumi did love Ranma, and she couldn't bear the fact that, even if it was a fallacy, Ranma would die.

"Wait… I yield," Kasumi hesitated for just a brief moment before taking a deep breath. "There are many things in this world that I can endure, but not this. This is too much, pain is one thing, but seeing someone you care about lose their life is another. I can't explain it, but all I know is that going through that once is enough for me. Anymore… and I don't know, I just don't know."

"Very well, Kasumi Tendo, you have done well up until this point. Your strength of will has been very admirable. However, this is the end of the line for you. Close your eyes, open them once more and you find yourself back to where you first started."

And so she did as Sang-Ya instructed and shut her eyes. She opened them once more and nothingness greeted her. This time it was just emptiness, not darkness. She could see herself and her surrounding just fine. Except that all around her there was just nothingness. Not a soul was in sight, no sound, no smell. It was a very preternatural feeling.

She tried calling out Ranma's name, Sang-Ya's name, even tried calling out for the old monk and yet to no avail. She tried to run, in any direction, to at least attempt to feel. And yet there was nothing. She ran for hours until her legs gave way and she was breathing heavily, her hands pressed on her knees to maintain support. And yet still there was nothing. It was as if the darkness had swallowed her and inside there was no form, no matter. There was just empty space.

It was a revelation that shocked Kasumi to the core. She didn't know what to do and started to panic. She slumped down to her knees and closed her eyes and focused. Sure, she was lost and alone. Sure, she was in a completely black space with nothing in it. And sure, she was more afraid than any time in her life. However, she focused on the good things, like her family, back when they still had nice, quiet meals and talked to each other. Back to when their mother was still alive and they were still a harmonious family. But more than that, she focused on Ranma and the warm feelings that he gave her. The things he made her feel, feelings that she thought would never surface again.

And just like that she wasn't terrified anymore. Of course, she was still scared, lost and alone. But she had to be strong, for Ranma and most of all for herself. For most of her life, she had watched as life passed her by, being content as merely being an observer. Now however, she was the heroine, the leading lady and she wouldn't fail, because now that when everything counted, she had to be strong. She had to face her fears, she had to face her doubts and insecurities, and to be sure, she had to face the fact that she was in control of her life now. Not her father, who constantly cried. Not her sisters, who treated her like the hired help, and certainly not this Sang-Ya, despite all the dire straits that she had been put through. So she stood up, and opened her eyes, only to find her standing in front of a giant statue of Buddha made from, what had seemed like, gold. It certainly gleamed enough and shone with enough luster to be called gold.

A short, elderly man stood in front of the statue. It was a strange sight, one of contrasts. A small man standing in front a large statue, it made her want to laugh. She almost did, but kept herself in check and approached the old man. As she approached him, she noticed that his eyes were closed. He seemed to be in deep meditation, except that he was doing so while standing. Kasumi, upon reaching him, examined his features. He was a very ordinary old man; he didn't have any distinct features. He had wrinkles all over his face and his hands, with fingers like toothpicks with loose skin hanging on them, were folded on top of the other perched upon a gnarled cane. He was wearing a black robe with gold edges and was nearly bald except for the little tufts of white hair at the sides of his head, on the top of his ears.

"Hello?" asked Kasumi tentatively. She didn't know who this old man was, but she had a feeling that he might be Sang-Ya. But there was no response. The old man didn't even acknowledge her presence. Then she started poking the old man, hoping that maybe that would cause him to stir.

Fortunately for Kasumi, her tactic worked and the old man finally stirred, for about two seconds, but then went back to his meditation. Seeing as her previous tactic had worked before, she continued in its pursuit and poked the old man some more. This time, she got more of a rise out of him, slapping her prodding finger away and giving her a look of annoyance, but when he looked at Kasumi, the annoyance vanished.

He merely responded, "Oh… it's you."

"Yes, it's me. Are you perhaps Sang-Ya?" Kasumi asked.

"Yes, I am Sang-Ya and yes, before you ask, you have passed the tests that were given to you." Sang-Ya stated matter-of-factly.

Kasumi was surprised. She thought that because she had given up, she had failed.

"Don't act so surprised, you were never meant to complete all the tests. Acknowledging your limits and when you should back down is also an important trait for a warrior. Although I don't exactly see you as the warrior type… looks can be deceiving." Sang-Ya turned his back and continued, "Your Ranma is almost finished with his trial, he will be here shortly."

"If you don't mind my asking, what exactly is Ranma's trial?" Kasumi thought that it was probably like hers, enduring physical and mental challenges. Kasumi knew that Ranma could easily complete the challenges that were set before him. She knew that Ranma was strong and could never break down like she did.

"It was a simple challenge, nothing as elaborate as yours. His martial skill and physical prowess are already well-known and we have no doubt that he could withstand the training here easily. However, his patience and his discipline must be tested. He cannot use what he would learn here without the proper discipline lest there be complete chaos." Sang-Ya calmly explained. He proceeded to tap his cane three times on the floor, as if to signal something.

"So what was his test?"

"To watch you suffer. That was his test."

A gasp reverberated across the room, extending even into the dark expanse around them. Kasumi had a look of horror after uttering that horrible sound. She couldn't believe that Ranma watched her suffer. It was a terrible, very painful thing that she went through and she didn't want anyone to see her like that, and she especially didn't want Ranma to see her at her nadir.

Soon footsteps echoed through the hall and Kasumi turned and tried to discern where the footsteps were coming from. There were two distinct pairs of footfalls and Kasumi surmised that it was Ranma and that other monk that was with them during their stay. Kasumi peered across the darkness and couldn't locate anything or anyone. The footsteps grew louder and louder still until she could recognize two figures that were approaching her.

She saw Ranma and the old monk come out from the darkness. Ranma had his head down as he walked, with his shoulders slumped down. He looked like a man defeated and Kasumi wondered why. As Ranma approached he lifted his head and gave Kasumi a tentative smile and then lowered his head again. Kasumi wondered what was wrong with Ranma as he seemed nervous, but most of all, seemed defeated.

"What's wrong?" Kasumi asked. The old monk muttered some words and excused himself to give the two some privacy. Kasumi lightly touched Ranma's arm when he started to shake. Then, he abruptly gathered her into his arms and held her tightly as if never wanting to let her go.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not being able to save you… help you. I know I should have done a better job in protecting you. I'm sorry, please forgive me." Kasumi looked at Ranma's eyes and saw the tears that were forming there.

"Why are you crying Ranma? I thought men among men weren't supposed to cry?" Ranma wiped the tears from his eyes and lightly smiled. "Well, just this once, we're allowed too. I couldn't bear to see you suffer. But every time I tried to do something, that old coot always said to 'have patience' and 'be disciplined'. Believe me, every time you were in pain, I wanted so badly to help you but I couldn't. The old monk wouldn't even let me go to where you were. Heck, I didn't even know where you were. I almost went insane trying to figure how to help you and I couldn't come up with anything. So I placed my faith in the fact that Sang-Ya wouldn't try to truly hurt you. Fortunately, I was right."

"What would have you done if I hadn't been alright?" Kasumi smiled at the fact that Ranma was worried about her. Few people took the time to be concerned about her well-being since she was always in the house. Most people thought that she was the safest one, but sometimes being in the house alone is more dangerous than being out with friends, especially at night. Now, in Ranma's arms, she felt safer than she ever had been anywhere else, even with her family.

"I would have beaten the stuffing out of that old monk until he told me where Sang-Ya was and then I would beat the hell out of Sang-Ya as well until he told me where you are and then I would beat on him some more, just for putting you in harm's way like that." Ranma looked into Kasumi's eyes, "I would never, ever let anything hurt you. I will protect you, that's a promise and if there's one good point about me, it's that Ranma Saotome always keeps his promises."

Kasumi laid her head on Ranma's shoulder and she felt warm and safe. Somehow she knew that Ranma would keep his promise, even though it may have been something so sensational. It was impossible for Ranma to protect her from everything, but she knew the meaning behind his words.

"Thank you, that means a lot to me, Ranma. I… I've never had anyone tell me that before."

Sang-Ya interrupted them with a loud coughing noise.

"Well… I hope this heartfelt reunion has readied the both of you. Since you have the privilege or, as some might say, the misfortune of training with me. This training is about honing the mind, the body and the spirit, because without all three, you cannot become a complete fighter." Sang-Ya laughed a little, as if what he said was some little joke that only he could understand. "Many have failed and we will see if you can prove to me that you are able to withstand what I am about to teach you."

With that, Sang-Ya merely snapped his fingers and the couple collapsed and fell unconscious, Sang-Ya merely laughed and thought that this would be interesting.

Notes:

1. The rest of the cast and crew of the Ranma world will be back next chapter, so tune it to that

and their reactions to Ranma's absence.

2. See the details of Ranma's test, and discover what exactly their training entailed.

3. Keep on reading, because I will keep on writing. Even if it takes two months.


	10. Chapter 9

_2 years later_

It seemed strange to Ranma and Kasumi, being back in their old home. They had been away for so long that it had seemed like it was a lifetime ago, when they were still staying in the Tendo home, each going about their daily lives, oblivious to each other and their pain that was deeply rooted within their souls. They had trained for a little over two years at Master Sang-Ya's monastery in the Himalayas. To the ordinary observer, they would have seemed no different from ordinary citizens. To a trained eye, they would still seem no different from ordinary people albeit with one distinct difference.

During their training, one of the first lessons that they had been taught was suppression, the ability to figuratively "hide" one's aura and power from those who were trained to read them. Ranma and Kasumi understood the value of this ability. It would enable them to be very difficult to track by their enemies, especially the council of five's lapdogs, the Maethra. Ranma understood during their training why the Maethra, Varruk, had managed to track them down so easily without having seen their faces. It was through their very distinct auras and power signatures that he was able to sense them even from a great distance. To be able to suppress their powers was a great asset if they were to avoid detection.

It was as if nostalgia had permeated the air around Nerima ward and both were affected by it. A wave of memories came crashing through, like a tidal wave. Surreptitious and sudden, they had not defense against the onslaught of memories that breached their consciousness. Ranma's constant fighting with Ryoga, Kasumi's constant cooking and cleaning around the house, Ranma's constant stream of enemies invading and destroying the area, Kasumi's constant serenity and harmony with her surroundings. They were two contrasting personas that seemed like polar opposites, with Ranma being chaos and Kasumi being harmony, and yet through exceptional circumstances find themselves so seemingly alike.

And as fast as the memories had entered their minds, they were gone. It was just for a moment, but to the two, it felt like a lifetime had passed. It immediately passed through their minds, what would their families think, about them running away, being gone for two years without so much as a word home, about so many other things such as their fathers' deaths? There were so many questions and so many answers and yet the most important question had yet to be asked by the two, what was next? They remembered Master Sang-Ya's words as they left the monastery.

"It is necessary to find the path within your selves," the elderly sound resonated within their minds. "Of course you have trained to defeat your enemy, but fighting is about more than that, it is about finding something to protect for that will give you strength to keep on fighting no matter what the circumstances and finding something to live for after the fighting is over for that will give you courage to see your journey to the end." They hear him sigh and then continue once more, "The truth is, whether or not you live or die doesn't matter. Life will go on within the world. But the fact of the matter is, that despite all that, to keep on fighting for something you believe in, whether to protect one, many or even the world. That is how you will value yourself, not by how many fights you've won or how good the food you cook is, but the meaning behind those actions and whether or not they are sincere and whether or not you strongly believe in them. That, my dear students, is the difference between good and evil and that is why good always triumphs over evil, because evil fights for strength and strength alone, while good fights to protect those who believe in it."

The words echoed in their minds. However it was the meaning behind those words that was most transparent to them. With those words, they were determined to find a path for themselves. And they thought that what better way to find a path than to go back to where it all began. And so here they were, walking the streets of Nerima with its twists and turns, the alleyways and the small side roads. They were almost upon their destination and with each grew more nervous. Although Ranma had faced death and stared it in the face before, he had never felt as nervous as he had right at that moment.

They weren't there only to find a path for themselves, but also resolve past conflicts. There was much explaining to do. Throughout their stay under Master Sang-Ya's tutelage, while they had always remained focus on all he had to teach, they had always wondered what befell the residents of their former home. What had happened to everyone after they left? Were they looking for the two of them? What about their fathers, were they properly buried? So many questions they had, and yet so little answers they possessed.

They had to pass through the winding roads, circuitous paths and crooked alleyways before they could arrive at their eventual destination, the Tendo home. It stood there, like a colossal giant, attempting to engulf them in its presence. A paradoxical view, taking into account that the Tendo home was no more gigantic as the Empire State Building was small. They stood there, unable, unwilling to move. But eventually the feeling dissipated. Being afraid wasn't going to help them nor lessen the undoubtedly incredulous reactions of both of their families, so they gathered up their courage and then Ranma knocked upon the bamboo door.

His knock was greeted with silence. After a few moments he knocked again and this time his knock did illicit a response, a shuffling of feet from within the house. The door suddenly opened and their emerged a long, blue haired girl wearing a deep blue apron, brandishing a spatula in her right hand. At first, she was distracted by another distant voice yelling, "If you're not careful Akane, you'll burn your eggs _again_." Ranma and Kasumi were surprised to see that Akane grew her hair back. She never did take the time before to do so, and they were perplexed as to why she did so during the time they were gone.

She didn't look much different though, a little bit older perhaps. Her face lost the youthfulness of the past and was replaced by the face of a strong woman. She grew a bit taller, although Kasumi was still taller than her by a few inches. Thought that wasn't the most surprising thing about her. What surprised the couple was Akane looked a lot like Kasumi before their departure. Akane was clad in a turquoise housedress with a flowered pattern. The apron was probably new as Kasumi didn't recognize it, although she couldn't quite tell because it had numerous amounts of stains on it.

It seemed as if it had been a rag at a restaurant's kitchen. Kasumi could tell there were soy sauce stains, ketchup stains, oil stains, and stains that she couldn't quite make out due to the myriad of mixtures that the stains produced.

Still, Akane had not noticed them and was preoccupied with talking to another voice within the house. "Hold on a minute, Nabiki, someone's at the door," Akane shouted back. She wiped her hands on her apron and greeted them with a deep bow, ever oblivious to their identities.

"Welcome to our house," she said. And it wasn't until that moment that she noticed who the two at door were. She blinked a few times, as if her eyes were deceiving her, as if she couldn't believe what they were trying to tell her. Then, she trembled; one could almost see the brimming emotion beneath her eyes. Despite her best efforts, Akane couldn't hold back her tears and she collapsed unto Ranma and sobbed her eyes out.

Ranma could not do anything but hug her and stroke her back, continuously reassuring her with his words, "We're back… we're back." Akane after a few moments dried her tears and shook her head.

"Where the hell did you go and why did you take my sister?" Her angry words were not surprising to Ranma. He and Kasumi had prepared for this moment for two long years, but despite their continuous rehearsal, it was still difficult for Ranma to say the words that they had so meticulously planned.

"Why don't we go inside? I'm sure Nabiki would like to know that we have arrived as well." Kasumi suggested. Akane nodded vigorously, "Yes, I almost forgot!" She ran inside and shouted Nabiki's name, "Nabiki, Nabiki!"

"What's with all the shouting?" asked Nabiki as she entered the entry hall. "It's Ranma and Kasumi! They're back." Nabiki also had the same incredulous reaction as Akane had just a few moments ago. She ran past Akane and hugged her sister. Nabiki hugged Kasumi so tight that it felt like a vise.

"Nabiki, I'm happy to see you too. Now, if you don't let go of me soon. I might suffocate." Kasumi cheerfully warned her younger sister. Nabiki was not as thrilled with Ranma however.

"You," as Nabiki pointed her finger at him. "What the hell did you do with my sister? Despite my best efforts to find you, I couldn't. I looked all over Japan, in the North, in the South and yet nothing. Normally someone leaves some trace, but with you, nothing!" Nabiki shook her head. "The minute that I noticed that you two disappeared I went to the train station to try and find you. I asked everyone there if they saw anyone matching your description and no one, not even the ticket seller could identify that you were there. So tell me, how did you pull off your disappearing act, Ranma?"

Ranma could only smile at the deception that they played on Nabiki. "Why don't we talk about it more inside? We've been walking for hours to get here, the least you could do is invite us in."

"Walking for hours?" asked Nabiki, shocked. "Why didn't you take a cab or a bus or the subway?"

"Well… we didn't have any money. We spent it all on our plane tickets and a few supplies. Anyway it's a long story and it's been a long day, let's talk about it inside." Both Akane and Nabiki were silent after Ranma's response, as if they were considering something. It seemed like they were both wrongly convinced that Ranma kidnapped Kasumi and she didn't want that all.

"I wasn't kidnapped by Ranma if that's what you were thinking. It was a mutual decision between the two of us to leave." Kasumi explained. The two younger sisters were visibly disconcerted by the admission of what were on their very thoughts.

"No… no, we weren't thinking that. We just… wanted an explanation." as Nabiki skillfully denied the accusation flippantly. They invited Ranma and Kasumi into the house to sit in the living room and the two were filled with nostalgic memories as the Tendo home looked the same as always.

The wooden entry hall floor shone and indicated that it was well-maintained and well-cared for. The walls were pristinely clean and white as if dust feared to tread there. The doors were still the same, as if Ranma hadn't crashed through them so many times in the past. Everything was where it was and it seemed Kasumi's two younger sisters had done well for themselves during the time that both she and Ranma were away training in Tibet.

If it were possible, even the air felt the same, the feelings that were in the walls, the floor, all around them seem to permeate the entire house, washing them away with a sense of wonder and amazement, as if it were the first time that they had seen the Tendo home. In a way, it was. It seemed like that for the past two years, their home was the stone gray walls of the monastery. While Ranma and Kasumi appreciated all the help and training that Sang-Ya gave them, even Sang-Ya himself admitted that the accommodations were not that good and were barely adequate.

The monastery had no beds as Sang-Ya never needed to have any as he was the only one residing in the monastery and he usually slept on the floor. Furthermore, no conventional means of transportation bridged the monastery with any nearby city, further complicating their situation. They only received periodic air drops of food that a friend of Sang-Ya was kind enough to provide.

Back in the monastery, they slept on the floor and ate food that seemed like what animals would eat. Their food usually consisted of tubers and if they were lucky, some miscellaneous vegetables, but never meat, fish or poultry. This was because Sang-Ya's friend was a mere farmer and he gave some of his excess crops to Sang-Ya as compensation for a past favor that Sang-Ya had not revealed.

Moreover, the two of them had to bathe at a nearby spring together, which caused great embarrassment for the two of them. However, Sang-Ya called it, "An exercise in courage" and "A show of affection" he said that it would allow the two of them to grow closer and not to suffer embarrassment even when unclothed.

Apart from that, sleeping, eating and bathing, they were mostly training, day and night. And not just training for the body, but also for the mind. They had to do a lot of mental exercises. However, their exercises were different between the two of them. Whereas the physical exercises had been mostly uniform for the both of them and they both had them at the same time, the mental exercises were not.

The mental training had strictly been conducted separately, although Ranma and Kasumi were not forbidden to discuss them during the times that they were not training. For Ranma they usually consisted of military strategy and tactics while for Kasumi's it usually consisted of the sciences. It seemed strange that monks knew all this stuff, but for the most part, they paid it no heed. They supposed not everyone was a monk all the time, or was a monk in the past.

They did have breaks, about an hour for lunch and dinner and a few hours between the end of the training regimen at night and before they went to sleep. They talked about a lot of things, such as what they did during the mental exercises, discussed techniques and some stuff about the training. They also talked about their feelings and their growing comfort with each other. Although they had not done anything that crossed that implicit line between themselves, not until their growing feelings have developed enough, they still explored each other's bodies.

It was a euphoric process for the both of them. They reveled in each caress, each touch, and each kiss that they gave and received. They had never let it go too far though. Their self-control was enormous and add that to the fact that they weren't prepared yet. Still, Ranma had gone far. He was not uncomfortable with the bareness of a female body anymore and he would not be flustered by women's advances at them. Although he would never consort with them, it was a relief to Ranma that he no longer had to feel like a scared rabbit every time a woman tried to grab on to him. Now he could just gently rebuff them, and if they still didn't listen, be a little bit more forceful – not too much though because that might hurt them.

But Ranma and Kasumi's thoughts were snapped out of their nostalgic reverie by the clearing of Nabiki's throat. "So exactly how long are we going to sit here, staring at each other?" The couple looked a little sheepish because of their prolonged sojourn into a time that had past.

Ranma began, "I'm sorry. But I think I'll let Kasumi explain the reasons why she came with me. And I'll try to explain why we had to leave in the first place." Ranma motioned for Kasumi to start. "I had started liking Ranma ever since he first came here. But due to extraneous reasons at that time, I had chosen to push him off to either Nabiki or Akane, since Nabiki was in agreement with me, we both concurred to push him on to you, Akane."

The two sisters nodded, and Kasumi continued, "I decided to bury my feelings through a mask of indifference and joviality despite my regrets for pushing Ranma to be with Akane. But throughout the years, it became harder and harder and it became a weight that burdened my heart. But as long as Ranma loved Akane, I could not come between him and my sister."

Kasumi turned her face away, a far-off look emerging from her features. As if going back to a time that had long past. "I had thought that if I occupied myself with some other endeavors I would manage to forget my feelings for Ranma, but I was wrong. Studying medical textbooks, knitting, taking trips did nothing for me and my feelings stayed the same despite my effort. I tried to see other people so that they would enable me to forget about Ranma. But one of them, Dr. Tofu, went a little nutty whenever I was around, and the others just couldn't help me forget."

Kasumi turned her eyes pointedly at Akane, staring at her. It seemed like she was boring through Akane's soul, trying to get a feel for Akane. "But I held out hope that as long as Akane continued to beat up Ranma and denied her feelings for him, I had a chance. That chance was dashed by Akane's decision after the unsuccessful wedding to give Ranma a chance at dating her." Kasumi's eyes darkened a bit, revealing her sadness at that memory, the loss of hope was always a sad thing.

"And so, I thought my chances were finally over. I thought that all that was standing between you and Ranma was your unwillingness to open your heart to him. I was wrong, again." Just as soon as the emotion flickered into life in Kasumi's eyes, it soon evaporated into passivity once more. "When the two of you started dating, Akane, I could sense that there was a problem immediately. There was nothing overtly wrong, but I had a feeling, call it women's intuition, that there was something… wrong." Akane turned her eyes from Kasumi's pointed stare. She almost couldn't bear the intensity of her sister on her.

"When I heard that you and Ranma broke up, I was conflicted. I was sad that my sister didn't find happiness. But I was also glad that a chance for my happiness opened up. I felt happy and sad at the same time, but my happiness overwhelmed my sadness. Then circumstances just fell into my favor and I went away with Ranma to train. So there you have it." Kasumi crossed her arms below her breasts and leaned back into the upholstered chair. Kasumi had on a grey button up shirt, not unlike those used by people who go to safaris and khaki knee-length shorts with brown work boots. Her hair was down and cascaded down her back just a few centimeters before her waist.

Ranma clapped his hands twice and announced, "Alright, now that Kasumi's sappy story," which earned him a glare from her, but was quickly replaced with a small smile. "is over. Let's get on to why we had to go away. Basically, some people are hunting us. For what reason, we don't know. All w do know is a monster came in here smashing everything up and tried to kill us, it killed our parents.

That little fact shook Akane and Nabiki a bit. They had never been able to figure out what happened to their parents. They were dead when they had come back, with their house in shambles. At first, they had thought that both Ranma and Kasumi were also killed, but a small note on top of the dining room table that contained seven words, "Gone to train, don't look for us" and signed with their names, led them to believe otherwise. As Nabiki had previously said, she had never been able to find where they went to.

Now she knew why, if they had gone to the mountains, nobody would be able to find them. She didn't know if this was intentionally planned by Ranma – she didn't think so – or merely a coincidence – the most probable reason.

"Now, we don't know who exactly tried to have us killed. But the one that tried to kill us was a Maethra, it looks like a giant werewolf, named Varruk. He said that he worked for the council of five, whatever that means, and said he was here to kill me and incidentally Kasumi because she was there." Akane and Nabiki listened raptly to the tale that Ranma was telling them, whether or not they believed him was unsure, but whatever killed their parents and ripped their faces off couldn't have been human.

"Now this Maethra was very strong, stronger than me, in fact. It was even stronger than Saffron. Even though we hadn't fought, I could feel its power, its strength and it was scary, extremely scary. That was when I knew that we had to go train and not just some run-of-the-mill training, but hardcore training, because of this threat. I had to get exponentially stronger or I and everyone that I care about shall be killed." Ranma took Kasumi's hand in his and squeezed it as if to give him strength.

"The reason why I took Kasumi with me is because I care for her, a whole damn lot, but also because she was in danger now too. I would have never endangered her or brought her with me if I knew she would be safe. But the problem is that if that monster was stronger than me, it was probably stronger than anyone else here. So I knew that none of you could protect her."

Akane and Nabiki both understood his reasons, but that didn't mean that they were ready to forgive him. They were both in the firm belief that he brought this upon them. That if he hadn't lived there, their father would still be alive, Kasumi would still be with them and all their problems would be

"The fact of the matter is Ranma, you have been the cause of the problems here and we don't know if we can forgive you… not for a long while. You took away our sister and our father was killed. Whatever the reasons might have been is irrelevant. If you hadn't been here, all of this would never have happened." Nabiki's scathing words, cut into Ranma's heart and he regretted all the pain that he has caused them. But he understood why they felt that way and he could not blame them. But what's done is done, and he could not change the past.

"I understand, we have come only to explain to you what has happened. We are leaving now. We have a lead on where we can find more information about the Maethra and the Council of Five." Nabiki put a slim finger below her chin and nodded thoughtfully, "Where will the two of you sleep?"

Ranma looked at Kasumi and she nodded. "We shall be camping outside, we have done so before and we shall continue to do so even now." Nabiki shook her head in reproach, "I knew that you'd say that. Don't think that we've forgiven you, but you are our sister and our sister's ex-fiancé and ex-boyfriend, so you can stay here, as long as you're in Nerima. Just because we don't see eye-to-eye doesn't mean that we're not going to give you at least a roof over your heads for the time you're hear. Just how long will you be staying, anyway?"

Kasumi replied before Ranma could open his mouth, "We shall not be long, maybe two or three days. Thank you sister for this kindness that you have bestowed upon us, we hope that you shall forgive us someday, even if today is not that day." Kasumi bowed in her seat and Nabiki merely nodded at the gesture.

"A few days it is, I guess we can spare the food and other necessities for that time. You can use your old room Kasumi," She turned to Ranma, "Ranma, you can use your old room as well." Kasumi shook her head, "That's unnecessary, Nabiki. We can both share my room. My bed is big enough for the both of us."

At this, Nabiki and Akane, who was silent for most of the conversation, was stunned. Their mouths dropped open and they were speechless. "We have slept together before, Nabiki, Akane. It is a necessity out in the road since we only have one sleeping bag. Now we've been used to it and we feel more comfortable sleeping together." Ranma nodded in agreement and chose to remain silent on the matter, fearing that if he spoke, he would be branded as some kind of pervert, again. So he chose to let Kasumi do the talking.

Kasumi felt that her sisters have gaped long enough and added, with a tone of finality, "That is non-negotiable." Nabiki sighed and acquiesced to the elder Tendo sister's condition. "Alright, you can have the same room. We can talk some more once you've gotten settled. I'll call for take out since you're probably too tired to cook, Kasumi, and Akane still can't cook to save her life."

Ranma and Kasumi were both grateful that they would be able to rest. Though they did not show it, they were weary of camping out and walking all the way to Nerima. They wanted to rest, and maybe later they would reveal more of their training to Nabiki and Akane. As they gathered their things and headed up the steps, Nabiki called out to them, her head poking from the doorway to the kitchen. "Just don't be too loud, ok?" And with a sly wink, her head went back into the kitchen. Both Ranma and Kasumi blushed a deep red at this, because they were embarrassed and because they were reminded of the fact that they had not taken their relationship to that level yet.


End file.
